Who's Got The Akuma
by Bill K
Summary: Ladybug and Cat Noir have beaten every foe Hawk Moth has thrown at them so far. But can they defeat all of their old foes at once?
1. Fallout

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 1: "Fallout"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

All characters within are copyright 2016 by Zagtoon and are used without permission, but with respect.

* * *

Ever since Volpina had been defeated, Paris had been quiet. Several weeks had passed and no threat to the population had risen up from out of nowhere. The city began to wonder if maybe, possibly, the crisis was over and they could get back to living their normal lives. A few, though, were perceptive enough to see that the fear generated by the successive attacks had altered everyone's behavior and that "normal" would be a long time coming.

To the police and those covering the attacks, the subject still dominated their thought processes. Just because Hawk Moth hadn't attacked didn't mean he was gone. And they said as much to the public, if only to prevent vigilance from dissipating. That included all journalists covering the attacks.

"I read your latest blog piece," Marinette commented as she and Alya walked to school. "Maybe Hawk Moth did give up."

"Doubt it," Alya replied. "There's no evidence - - no 'body' to prove he's gone. And he hasn't achieved his goal of Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous', so . . ." She thought a moment. "Of course, I haven't seen either of them recently, either."

"I'm sure they're all right," Marinette assured her, trying not to sound as if she knew that for certain, since she did.

"Yeah," Alya nodded, brushing up against Marinette with her shoulder. "If Hawk Moth had gotten their Miraculous', I doubt he'd keep it a secret." Marinette moved to the side to regain the space between them.

"I wonder what he wants them for," Marinette mused.

"Power, why else?" Alya speculated, brushing up against Marinette again. "Imagine what he could do with Ladybug's abilities." Again Marinette shuffled to the side to regain space between her and her friend.

"Is it just that simple?" Marinette wondered. "Maybe he's desperate to use them for something other than personal power."

"Why would you think that?" Alya asked, once again brushing against Marinette. Her friend became self-conscious as she again shuffled to the side. "Go on. I'm interested in all theories."

"Well, why else would you akumatize a little child like Manon unless you were desperate?" Marinette asked.

Once more she felt Alya's shoulder against hers. As she moved away again, Marinette was about to say something. But someone else bumped into her from the opposite side. Turning inquiringly, Marinette found herself staring into Adrien's soft blue eyes. The boy was surprised at first. But when he saw it was Marinette, his expression softened and his mouth curled into that dreamy smile that made Marinette's insides tighten.

"Sorry, Marinette," he mumbled shyly.

"That's OK, Adrien!" Marinette gasped. Already she could feel her throat going dry. Her eyes sought the ground. "I'm sure it was my fault. You know me: Clumsy little Marinette. Sometimes I think I shouldn't be allowed out without a barrier around me. So people won't run into me . . . and, um, I won't run into people. Because I seem to do that . . .a lot . . ."

Desperately her mind screamed at her to say something that would keep the conversation going, even somehow miraculously charm Adrien into being attracted to her. But her mouth had now divorced itself from her brain and wouldn't work. An awkward silence followed. After a few moments, Adrien turned and headed up the steps to school. Another opportunity squandered. Sensing Alya's presence behind her, Marinette whirled on her friend.

"You were HERDING me into Adrien!" she gasped in mortification.

"Of course I was," Alya replied. "Not that it helped. What do I have to do, Marinette? Why can't you just talk to him?"

Marinette looked down forlornly. "What if he doesn't like me?"

Alya sighed. "Then you'll cry for a few weeks and move on. It's got to be better than fantasizing about someone you're too scared to talk to. Isn't it?"

"Is it?" Marinette asked. "At least this way, I still have a chance."

Further comment was suspended when the two students entered Francoise Dupont and found a scene in the entry hall. Chloe was theatrically dressing down Lila in front of a growing group of on-lookers. Sabrina stood to one side of Chloe, vicariously enjoying her idol's performance. Lila glared angrily, her fists balled at her sides.

"And I had your linage traced," Chloe proudly proclaimed. "I always make it my business to investigate the claims of people who try to cosy up to me. Not only aren't you descended from Count Antonelli, you're not connected with Italian royalty of any kind!"

"I am!" fumed Lila. "I am descended from Count Antonelli!"

"This is the information age, honey," Chloe countered, waving a paper report that Sabrina had compiled for her. "Lies are a lot easier to check out." She grinned devilishly. "Not that I believed you to begin with. Everybody in school knows not to believe anything YOU say."

Several of the students watching began to snicker. It was all too much for Lila. She stormed away from Chloe and Sabrina, past Alya and Marinette, and out the door. Knowing Lila's past, Marinette was instantly concerned for the girl. But her attention was drawn away.

"Chloe," she heard Adrien say. Turning, Marinette saw Adrien standing across the hall from the fashionable blonde, a look of scowling disdain on his face. "Do you have to do that?"

"Oh, is your heart bleeding for another charity case?" sneered Chloe. "Honestly, Adrien, when are you going to realize that we're above this crowd?" And off she stalked, Sabrina scampering after her.

"That girl has a talent," muttered Alya, still standing beside Marinette. "Given Chloe's track record, I'm beginning to wonder if we could see Volpina again."

Marinette raced outside to the steps, vainly searching for any sign of Lila. For Marinette was wondering if we could see Volpina return again, too. And that was one of the last things Marinette wanted to see.

* * *

"What do you mean?" gasped Simon Gimault. He stared at the booking director in shock and growing horror.

The director started to respond, then paused, reconsidering his words. Simon could see that this was difficult for the man. However, it was far more difficult for himself, so he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Attendance has fallen," the director, Henri Cherac, said finally. "You're not the draw you were."

"It's because of what happened with Ladybug, isn't it?" Simon asked fearfully. "That wasn't my fault!"

"I know that," Cherac responded. "But - - people are afraid. This whole business with this Hawk Moth character has everyone in Paris nervous. And too many people are afraid to come to the theater if you're appearing. They're afraid it could happen again." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I have to think of the theater. We have to let you go."

"But how am I supposed to make a living if I can't get venues to perform in?" Simon inquired meekly. "If you won't hire me, do you think anyone else will? This is my life. This is all I know. All I want to do."

"Monsieur Gimault," Cherac offered. "If there's one thing I've learned about people is that they forget. And they can forgive, if it's something that doesn't directly threaten them. My advice would be to - - take a sabbatical. Get out of the public's consciousness. Let their attention move on to other things. Who knows? Maybe in the interim, this Hawk Moth nut will be caught and everything will be all right again."

"And what do I live on in the mean time?" Simon asked. "I'm a performer. Do you think I'm rich?" He wiped his collar with his hand. "I'm not the greatest hypnotist in the world. I don't perform for Kings and Queens. I barely scrape by as it is. I only keep doing it because it's such a source of joy. If you take that away . . ."

"I'm sorry," Cherac replied. "Call us again in - - six months. If everything has blown over by that time, I'll gladly take you back."

Cherac could see the man wanted to argue further. But Simon Gimault couldn't summon the strength to fight. Instead he meekly rose to his feet and trudged to the door. Once he was gone, Henri Cherac opened his desk drawer and poured himself a shot of French vodka to wash away the foul taste he suddenly had in his mouth.

Outside in the hall, Simon stood and stared at the floor as his future seemed to swirl away from him. It wasn't fair. He was being punished for something he was forced to do. Why couldn't anyone see that? This was all Hawk Moth's doing.

Hawk Moth; a dark, constricting hatred began to form in Simon's wiry chest. Simon couldn't remember hating anyone this deeply since his loathsome encounter with Gabriel Agreste.

* * *

"Ooh, Mommy!" Manon exclaimed, pointing to a display in the department store as she jerked at her mother's hand to get her to stop. It was a display of fashion dolls. "Look at the pretty dolls!"

"Yes, Manon," Nadja Chamack smiled patiently. "They're very pretty. Almost as pretty as you."

"Can I have one?" Manon asked, clutching at her mother's hand. "Please can I have one? Please, Mommy!"

"That's not what we're here to buy, Manon," Nadja told her daughter. "Now come along or we'll be late."

"Please?" persisted the small child.

"Manon," the woman sighed. Manon was giving her the puppy-dog eyes now. Oh, if she ever found out who taught her daughter that particular trick, she'd do something she'd have to confess on Sunday.

"Please?"

"Manon," Nadja murmured, kneeling down to the child. "How about we stop for lunch after I make my purchase and I buy you some ice cream? Wouldn't you like that?"

"But what about the doll?" Manon asked, the hint that she was losing the battle creeping into her young mind and tinting her question with the color of fear.

"Manon," Nadja forced herself to say, "you know you can't have any dolls. Remember what happened the last time you had a doll?"

"No," Manon squeaked. It was true; she didn't remember. Her mother had told her what had happened after confiscating all of the dolls in her toy chest, but since she didn't actually remember being The Puppeteer, to her it didn't count.

"I told you what happened," Nadja choked out, her heart breaking for her little girl and for what she had to do to protect her and everyone. "I told you why you can't have any dolls. It's too dangerous."

"But Mommy!" Manon cried, drawing the stares of other shoppers. "You said it wasn't my fault!"

"And it's not!" the woman said, scooping the child up in her arms and hugging her. "But until the man who did that to you is caught and stopped, it's too much of a risk!"

"But I want it!" wailed Manon. "If what happened isn't my fault, why do I have to be the one who gets punished?"

"It won't be forever, Dear," her mother assured her. "Just hold out a little longer." Feeling the stares of everyone on her back, Nadja regained her feet and took Manon's hand in hers. "Now let's make that purchase so we can get you some ice cream."

But as Nadja led her daughter away, she couldn't see the bitter expression on the girl's face. She couldn't hear Manon mumbling that it wasn't fair.

* * *

Arriving home from school, Chloe Bourgeois sighed with fatigue. Sure, Sabrina had carried her books, screened her calls and ran interference for people she didn't want to lower herself to talk to. The fatigue was from just being her. Sometimes it was just too much for a fifteen year old girl to bear.

"Welcome home, Mademoiselle," the maid bowed as she took the jacket and purse from the daughter of the master of the house. "Dinner shall be at seven. I will notify you in advance so you may prepare."

"Fine," Chloe sighed. What to do until then. If only Adrien would return her calls.

"That gives me plenty of time to do your homework, Chloe," Sabrina volunteered hopefully.

"Don't bother me with boring details," Chloe replied, waving absently at the girl. Then she smiled wickedly. "Do you remember the look on Lila's face this morning? It made my entire day. I don't think she even came back."

"Maybe she's gone for good," ventured Sabrina

"Oh, Mademoiselle Bourgeois," the maid said, entering the hall again. "You received a letter today."

"Is it from Notre-Dame Academie?" Chloe gasped, snatching the letter from her maid. "It is! Oh, this is going to be wonderful!"

"The private college preparatory school?" Sabrina asked with a sinking feeling. "You applied there?"

"Of course! Francoise Dupont is too common for someone like me! Being the Mayor's daughter, I should be attending the most prestigious school in Paris."

Chloe read the letter while Sabrina thought about life without Chloe. For there was no way she was going to be able to follow Chloe to a school like Notre-Dame. But those thoughts came to a screeching halt as she observed the growing outrage on her idol's face.

"REJECTED!" bellowed Chloe. Eyes blazing, Chloe stared at nothing for a few seconds. The letter crumpled in her fist. "Well we'll just see about this!" And off she stormed to the main living hall, Sabrina scrambling to keep up.

"I'm sorry," Mayor Bourgeois said over the phone, trying to placate his precious daughter. "They are an independent school. I have no influence over them."

"Did you even try?" Chloe demanded petulantly.

"Of course I did. I was informed of the letter by the school's regent ahead of time. I must say that I made a very impassioned argument on your behalf. You know you mean the world to me."

"Then why am I rejected?" Chloe howled.

"The thesis you submitted," the Mayor replied with audible fatigue. "The faculty judges felt it was - - too close to a work that had been published years ago by the school. In fact, the man who wrote it is on the faculty at the school."

"Then he should THANK me for making it more interesting!" snapped Chloe.

"They considered it plagiarism," her father replied. Chloe didn't notice the hint of disappointment in his voice. "And then there was - - the incident."

"Incident?"

"When you," her father stammered, "became Antibug."

"What about it?" Chloe asked, her voice a whisper now due to surprise.

"The faculty feels that, well, someone with a, um, past - - such as that," the Mayor hemmed and hawed, "would open up the school to shame and ridicule."

"But that wasn't my fault!" Chloe protested. "I was controlled! Don't they know that? Didn't you tell them?"

"I did. It didn't make a difference."

"So," Chloe gasped incredulously, "so I'm a criminal now? Branded? Shunned by anyone who matters for something that wasn't even my fault?"

"Just the point I made," her father said. "They have agreed to reconsider your application next year."

"Next," Chloe whispered, "year?"

"If you stay out of trouble," the Mayor added, "and if you submit a paper that's your own work. You can do it. You can rise above this and redeem yourself in their eyes. I know you can."

Chloe disconnected her cell phone. Sabrina watched her stand there, the phone dangling from one limp hand, staring at nothing.

"Chloe?" Sabrina ventured.

"Get out," she replied softly.

"Is there . . .?"

"GET OUT!" Chloe roared. Turning, Sabrina hurriedly left, leaving Chloe's homework satchel on the floor.

The teen stood alone in the center of the room, feeling humiliated. And nobody humiliated Chloe Bourgeois.

* * *

A window stood irised open, the light scattering thousands of butterflies. It had been open for most of the day. The man in the center of the beam of light just smiled and drank in the sensations he was feeling.

It was all going according to plan.

Continued in Chapter 2


	2. Attack

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 2: "Attack"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

"No, Madame Chamack!" Marinette gasped into the phone. Her parents, in the kitchen hovering over dinner preparations, looked at her with concern. "Manon isn't here. I haven't seen her in days."

Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng saw the growing look of horror on their dear daughter's face as she listened to the reply on the phone. Fear began to grow within them. Given all that was happening in Paris recently, it was a fear that many parents shared.

"Have you called Alya yet?" Marinette suggested. The response didn't cheer her. "Well I'll keep a look out. And I promise to call you if I see any sign of her." There was a pause for a response. "You'll get her back, Madame. Please believe that. Please hold on to it."

"What is it, Marinette?" Sabine inquired as Marinette hung up the phone.

"Manon Chamack is missing," Marinette related, her voice stunned and distant. "Madame Chamack put her down for a nap this afternoon. When she went to rouse her for dinner, Manon was gone."

"Perhaps the Hawk Moth got her," Sabine wondered out loud. The words seemed to galvanize Marinette.

"I'm going out to look for her!" the teen declared and headed for the door.

"Marinette!" Tom said sharply. The girl stopped and turned to him. "I don't want you out on the streets at night."

"But Dad!"

"Paris is too dangerous these days," he continued. "What with this Hawk Moth running around, possessing people and turning them into monsters. It's already happened to several of your friends from school."

"But . . .!"

"I don't want it to happen to you," he stated emphatically. "It's a matter for the police. They can find a missing child far more efficiently than you can. I know your heart's in the right place. But you mustn't risk yourself like this. Chances are you won't find her; you'll only find trouble instead."

Marinette silently appealed to her mother to intercede, but quickly saw that her mother was of the same opinion her father was. It was an argument she couldn't win. Heaving a heavy sigh, Marinette began to ascend the stairs to her room.

"Where are you going?" Sabine inquired.

"To talk to Alya," Marinette replied dejectedly. "Maybe if we compare notes, we can come up with a lead."

"Maybe you can," Sabine offered. "Dinner will be ready in an hour."

In her room, at her desk, Marinette sat with her chin propped on her hands and seethed with frustration. Almost immediately Tikki appeared.

"Please don't be angry with them," Tikki said. "Your parents are just trying to protect you. And perhaps there is another reason for Manon being missing that doesn't involve her being transformed to evil."

"No. She's been akumatized again," Marinette stated. "Something Madame Chamack said in passing, about her having a fight with Manon earlier about a doll. That's how she was turned the first time."

"It isn't like Hawk Moth to use the same victim more than once," Tikki mused.

"Up until a little while ago, it wasn't like Hawk Moth to akumatize pre-school children," Marinette added. One hand closed over the other, which had balled into a fist. "It's him."

"Then you have to do your duty," Tikki declared.

"How? Dad won't let me out after dark now."

"You'll have to sneak out again."

Marinette looked aghast at the Kwami. "I can't keep risking that! What if Mom and Dad find out?"

"And if Hawk Moth achieves his objective at the expense of innocent lives, possibly the lives of everyone in Paris?" Tikki countered. "It's a risk you must take. You and Cat Noir are the only ones who can fight him."

Marinette pursed her lips, clearly torn by the dilemma. Tikki placidly watched her as if she'd experienced this scenario a thousand times before. After a few moments thought, the teen reached a decision.

"Tikki! Spots on!" Marinette shouted. Eagerly the Kwami engaged the transformation and Marinette was replaced by Ladybug.

"Hopefully I can find her and be back in an hour," Ladybug said as she climbed through the skylight to the roof. She tossed her yo-yo into the evening sky, hooking the roof of the building opposite her. "Because if I miss dinner and Mom and Dad find out I went out . . .!"

Off she swung into the night.

"I wonder if Cat Noir will have room in his place for a homeless stray," she mused as she swung.

* * *

Dinner in the Agreste household was, as usual, a solemn event. As Adrien allowed the meal to be served, he glanced over at the empty chair across the long table, then at Nathalie Sancoeur, standing as always behind and several paces to the right of Gabriel Agreste's chair.

"Dad's not coming?" Adrien asked. He already knew the answer.

"Monsieur Agreste is occupied with business," Nathalie replied. "He has been occupied with this particular negotiation for the entire day. As such, he will not be joining you for dinner."

"Probably just as well," Adrien mumbled. He began eating.

"How was school today?" Nathalie asked. Adrien knew her interest was purely a function of maintaining a smooth running household for her father.

"We began learning about genus classifications in biology," Adrien related without enthusiasm. "We're studying the Revolution of the Bastille in history. And the school wasn't attacked by an akuma. Which is a win, I guess."

Nathalie noted the boy's sarcasm, but didn't say anything.

"I don't suppose," Adrien began, "I might get to go out tonight - - since Dad is so occupied with work. After my homework is finished, of course."

"Master Agreste," Nathalie sighed. "You know your father's instructions are not to go out if he is away on business."

"Just a thought," Adrien conceded. He finished his meal. "I guess I'll go up to my room now."

"But there is still dessert," Nathalie began.

"I'm not in much of a mood for dessert," Adrien said and retired from the room. Nathalie glanced at the housekeeper and dared her to say something.

In his room, Adrien looked out of the gigantic window overlooking a fair section of the part of Paris the Agreste Mansion occupied. After a few moments, a small black figure floated up and levitated just over his left shoulder.

"I don't suppose . . .?" Plagg ventured.

"Of course I did," Adrien sighed, pulling the piece of cheese from his pocket and offering it to the Kwami. "I wouldn't want you to starve to death. After all, you're my only way out of this prison."

"Oh, so considerate!" squealed Plagg and snatched the cheese from the boy. Between bites he glanced at Adrien. "And it's been weeks without trouble. That's a good thing."

"For the city, maybe," sighed Adrien. "But I'm bored out of my mind."

"Turn on that wonderful big screen TV you have," Plagg suggested, his mouth full of cheese. "Maybe there's an episode of that anime you like. You know, the one with the girls with the short skirts."

"Shut up and eat your cheese," Adrien said.

While Plagg gorged himself, Adrien continued to gaze out of the window and think of freedom. But a few moments later, a loud impact sound shook the immediate area and roused the teen from his reverie. Leaning out his window as far as he safely could, Adrien strained to see what it was. The sound came again, like a large weight falling to the pavement again and again. His attention was caught by the sudden appearance of panicked pedestrians fleeing from a street several blocks over. Following them was a twenty-five foot tall humanoid made of solid stone.

"Stoneheart!" Adrien gasped. Ivan Bruel had transformed again? But how? Then he realized such questions were for later. "Plagg! Claws out!"

"Well, no short skirts tonight," sighed the Kwami.

Cat Noir vaulted over the final rooftop and landed, with cat-like grace, on the street twenty feet behind Stoneheart. And it was, somehow, Stoneheart. His first thought was to try to reason with Ivan, but he dismissed that idea. Stoneheart was impervious to words and reason. And attacking him would only increase his size.

Then an idea seized him. Launching forward, Cat Noir extended his staff and aimed for between Stoneheart's legs. If he could get the staff at the proper angle, he could trip Stoneheart. Of course the impact with the ground would increase his size. But getting him down was the main concern at the moment. On his face he was less of a threat.

Unexpectedly, a line shot out and spun around Cat Noir's torso. When it pulled tight, trapping his arms at his sides, the person controlling the line gave it a sudden jerk. Cat Noir was yanked off of his feet and landed on his back on the street. Looking down, he saw at the end of the line was the head of a yo-yo.

"A simple 'stop' would have been . . ." Cat Noir began, looking behind him. The rest caught in his throat. Ladybug hadn't snared him. It was Antibug. "Chloe? What's happened? Did he get to you again?"

Antibug's response was to sprint forward. When she was in ten feet of Cat Noir, she leaped up and somersaulted in the air. Her object was to spin the yo-yo cord around Cat Noir's legs and completely trap him. But Cat Noir brought his baton up and extended it, striking Antibug in her mid-section and disrupting her spin. When she landed, Cat Noir was already on his feet. Leaping up into the air, he spun his foot around until the yo-yo cord was under the sole of his boot, then stomped down. The pull jerked the yo-yo cord from Antibug's hand, allowing him to spin free of the line holding him.

"Let's see," Cat Noir thought. "The akuma was in her earring last time. All I have to do is grab it and change her back."

Bolting forward, Cat Noir tried to surprise his opponent with his speed. But Antibug executed a bold series of back flips that kept her out of his reach. Undaunted, Cat Noir threw his baton at her, hoping to strike or catch her ankles and throw her off balance.

In mid-air, Antibug twisted around and her back flip brought her into perfect position. She kicked the baton back at Cat Noir's face. Only his quick reflexes allowed him to catch the baton before it struck him in the face.

"Fighting her is like fighting Ladybug," Cat Noir thought. "I have to get her off the ground. She's already lost her yo-yo, and in the air she won't be able to use her acrobatic skills."

Pivoting, Cat Noir turned and in a few bounds leaped onto the side of a building. Using his claw gloves and the rough soles of his boots, the teen quickly scaled the face of the building to the third story roof. Undaunted, Antibug followed him, leaping onto the side of the building and then scaling it by jumping from one window sill to the next.

Once glance told him that she was right behind him. Without hesitation, Cat Noir leaped off of the roof into space, his objective seeming to be the rooftop of the building across the street. Antibug followed him with mindless determination. But when he was sure Antibug had leaped after him, Cat Noir extended his baton to the street and used it as a pole to swing around and launch himself back at Antibug. His quarry had no way to turn or to stop herself. Cat Noir impacted with her in midair, his legs wrapping around her waist.

As their momentum carried them back to the launch point, Cat Noir's hand shot out and grabbed the earring off of Antibug's right ear. The pair landed back on the roof, Cat Noir pushing off with his feet and somersaulting away to give him some distance from her. When he landed, he dropped the earring to the roof and swiftly stomped on it, crushing the piece to powder.

"No akuma!" Cat Noir marveled, for no black butterfly had emerged. "Then how is she Antibug if . . .?"

Looking at Antibug in a new light, Cat Noir noticed her expression as his adversary crouched to leap at him.

"That blank look; and she hasn't said anything the entire time," he concluded. "Chloe hasn't been akumatized! She's being controlled!"

A loud crash reminded the hero that Stoneheart was loose as well. Seeing Cat Noir was distracted, Antibug leaped at him. Cat Noir somersaulted over her charge, twisting in mid-air as he extended his baton. The staff jammed between Antibug's legs and tripped her. Planting the staff and swinging around, Cat Noir leaped forward, landing on Antibug's back.

"I hate to be too rough," Cat Noir mused. "It is sort of like fighting Ladybug. But if I can't change her back, I have to restrain her somehow."

With Antibug pinned beneath him and fighting wildly to throw him off, Cat Noir looked around. There was a satellite dish nearby. Cat Noir grabbed one of the cables leading to the dish and tore it away. Then, with a great deal more effort than he expected, Cat Noir got Antibug's hands behind her and knotted together with the cable. He only got off of her when he had used the free end of the cable to cinch her ankles to her wrists.

Looking at Antibug struggle only confirmed what he'd concluded: Antibug fought like a wild animal to get free, but her eyes were still glassy and her expression was blank. She was like a puppet.

"The Puppeteer," Cat Noir mumbled. "Is that where the akuma really is?"

Another heavy crash spurred Cat Noir to leap off again. Vaulting across several city blocks, following a path of destruction, the teen caught up with Stoneheart. He had an auto in his right hand and was about to smash it on the pavement.

Right on Ladybug's head.

Rushing in, Cat Noir scooped Ladybug up into his arms and out of the path of the crashing auto. Sliding along the pavement, he leaped and somersaulted over a fire hydrant, landing nimbly in front of a coffee shop. Startled, Ladybug looked at him while still cradled in his arms.

"You know," Cat Noir smiled, "this actually feels kind of right."

"Put your whiskers in park, Tom Cat," Ladybug replied, though he noticed the hint of a smile on the edges of her lovely mouth. "We have work to do." She slid out of his grasp and to the ground.

"I'll save it for the honeymoon," Cat Noir grinned.

Stoneheart had turned away from them and raised his fist to smash into the travel agency storefront across the street. The line from a yo-yo shot out and caught the wrist, holding it back. Stoneheart turned to them.

"Ivan, please!" Ladybug shouted. "You don't have to do this! We can work out whatever happened!"

"He's not listening, Ladybug," Cat Noir told her. "He can't. Look at his eyes."

Ladybug squinted, staring up into the air at the twenty-five foot tall stone giant. The pebbles that passed for his eyes were fixed and staring.

"He's being controlled," Ladybug deduced.

"I just had a confrontation with Antibug and she was the same way," Cat Noir added. "I think the real akuma is The Puppeteer."

"Manon!" Ladybug gasped. "She's been missing since this afternoon! Um, a, uh, reliable source told me that."

"And she's been turning former akuma victims back into their monster selves."

"Alya," Ladybug whispered.

"Thing is, how do we stop Stoneheart if there's no akuma to destroy," Cat Noir posed. "I can get him down, but sitting on him isn't going to do much."

Ladybug's expression grew resolute. She tossed her yo-yo into the air, shouting, "Lucky Charm!" A foot long glass cylinder colored red with black spots appeared and dropped into her hands. Inside the cylinder was a white powder that glowed in the sunlight through the semi-transparent red color of the cylinder.

Looking around, Ladybug immediately saw the asphalt pavement below Stoneheart's feet flash with the ladybug pattern. Instinctively she knew what to do.

"Stand back," she warned Cat Noir, "and shield your eyes."

Ladybug flung the cylinder at the feet of Stoneheart. Upon impact, the white powder came in contact with oxygen in the air and exploded in a flash of light and heat. Being made of stone, Stoneheart was impervious to the chemical reaction. But the pavement wasn't and Stoneheart quickly sank ankle deep in the oozing mire. He tried several times to pull away from the grip of the molten asphalt, but it held him fast.

"What was that?" gasped Cat Noir.

"White phosphorous," Ladybug replied. "Don't breathe any of the fumes." She turned her face to the sky. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Energy shot out from the molten mass below Stoneheart. It covered everything in the area. Cars were repaired. Buildings were like new. The melted pavement was as if it had never been touched. And Ivan Bruel stood in the center of the street, a look of puzzled confusion on his face.

"What happened?" Ivan asked. "I was in . . ." Then he saw Ladybug and Cat Noir. "Did it happen again?"

"I'm afraid so," Ladybug offered sympathetically. Ivan bit down on his lip to keep from crying.

"Hey!" a voice was heard several blocks away, though not by Ladybug or Cat Noir. "How did I get up here? And who tied me up?" Chloe waited angrily for a response that didn't come. "Heeeeeeeeyyyyyy!"

As they watched Ivan trudge off, Ladybug said to Cat Noir, "We've got to find Manon and stop this. But where could she be?" Ladybug was about to launch her yo-yo, but Cat Noir stopped her.

"I don't think you have time for a search, given the way your earring is blinking," he told her. Ladybug's hand went up to her ear. "I'll look for her. You recharge."

"Yeah. And I have to get home anyway," Ladybug reluctantly agreed. "I just hate leaving Manon out there alone."

Suddenly Ladybug stiffened like something had impacted her between the shoulder blades. Grabbing her shoulders for support, Cat Noir looked just in time to see a playing card merge into her back. He looked around, moving himself in front of Ladybug to shield her.

Standing by a corner art gallery was Simon Says.

"Ladybug," he called out, holding several playing cards fanned out in front of him. "Simon Says give me your Miraculous."

Continued in Chapter 3


	3. Bad Times

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 3: "Bad Times"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

Cat Noir stared at the figure in the alley entrance across the street from them. It was too far for him to see the man's face, but the black mask, the lavender hat and suit, and the glowing fanned cards made his identity obvious.

"Simon Says give me your Miraculous," he said. That confirmed it. It was Simon Says.

Immediately Cat Noir felt Ladybug try to move toward Simon Says. He glanced at her and her expression was shocking. Ladybug's expression was vacant, robotic - - except for her eyes. They were wide and in shock, horrified that her body was no longer hers to command. When she tried to pull away from him, Cat Noir was spurred into action.

Bending down, he threw Ladybug over his shoulder. Using his baton elongated into a vaulting pole, Cat Noir vaulted them both over the roof of the nearby row of shops. Not trusting his partner in her current state, Cat Noir covered three blocks before he set them both down on a roof. Safely on the structure, he let Ladybug slide off of his shoulder and looked at her. She was still in the helpless thrall of Simon Says.

And her last dot on her earring was blinking.

Sweeping her feet out from under her, Cat Noir forced Ladybug to sit. Then he turned away just as the transformation faded.

"I know you don't want me to see who you are!" Cat Noir said, turning back to her with his eyes closed. "I hope you know I wouldn't use that knowledge against you. But I'll honor your wishes - - if I can. But if you're still under Simon Says's control . . .!"

"I'm not," came a whispered reply. "I guess it only affects me when I'm Ladybug."

"Then I have to destroy that deck," Cat Noir decided. "Be careful. I don't know who else is out there."

And off he vaulted, leaving Marinette on the roof top. As such, he didn't hear the "thank you" she whispered. Cat Noir had the chance to take advantage of her situation and didn't. A warm sense of gratitude flooded through her. She opened her hand gently and found Tikki there, the Kwami clearly exhausted.

"Sorry, Tikki," she said. "I let myself get caught like a clumsy little . . ."

"No one is perfect, Marinette," Tikki wheezed out. "Although you're a lot closer than you think."

"I thought Manon was responsible for the reappearance of these akuma monsters. What if it's Simon Says?"

"I don't know, Marinette," Tikki sighed. "Can we talk about it later?"

"Yes, I've got to get you home and . . ." she began. Her eyes widened. "Home! Dinner! Oh, I hope Mom and Dad don't know I'm gone!"

* * *

Perched on a roof overlooking the square where he and Ladybug had defeated Stoneheart, Cat Noir searched for some sign of Simon Says. People were milling about and the police had arrived to assess the situation. There was no sign of Simon.

"Is Simon the one controlling these other akumatized people?" Cat Noir thought out loud. "Obviously he's under Hawk Moth's control again. Why else would he demand Ladybug's Miraculous? I guess he used his control cards to force Chloe and Ivan to change back into their akumas." His chin rested on his hand as he crouched on the roof. "So where's Manon? Is she involved in this or did something else happen to her?"

As he searched the square in vain, Cat Noir's thoughts drifted to other things.

"Wish I could have gotten a glimpse of Ladybug's other self," he mused. "I wonder if she's as hot out of costume as she is in. And that voice - - it was too soft to recognize, but I can't help feeling like I've heard it before." His hand formed a fist and he smacked his thigh. "Oh, why won't you let me in?"

Emitting a frustrated sigh, Cat Noir rose to full height. He extended his baton to a full vaulting pole.

"No telling where Simon is now," he thought. "And no evidence of any other akumatized people. Guess I may as well get back home before Nathalie misses me."

He planted his pole and vaulted off.

"Oh yeah," he thought with a grin. "Guess I better untie Chloe, too."

* * *

With stealth born of paranoia, Marinette eased open the skylight door from the roof and as silently as she could crept down the stairs. Her breathing was so shallow as to almost be non-existent. Her foot touched the floor of her bedroom and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did you find her?"

"DAD!" Marinette gasped, her hair almost standing on end. Turning, she found her massive father leaning against the door of her room. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked oh so disappointed. "Um, I was just . . ."

"Before you dig yourself in deeper," Tom cut her off, "you should know that I've been here for twenty minutes and I checked the observation deck when I first found you weren't here."

Marinette's shoulders slumped. Her eyes sought the floor in shame.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "But - - I just couldn't sit here and do nothing. Poor little Manon is out there and who knows what kind of trouble she might be in. And if I can help, I have to try."

"At least you did it for a noble reason and not a selfish one," Tom sighed. "That's the one thing that keeps me from being really mad at you." He walked over and placed his massive hands oh-so-gently on his daughter's shoulders. She looked up at him hopefully. "But you're not an adult yet and you don't know it all, in spite of what you think. And you have to listen when I tell you to do something. I'm not telling you these things to be mean. I'm telling you them to protect you."

Marinette noticed out of the corner of her eye that her mother was standing in the doorway. The woman had sympathy for her, but it was obvious that she was siding with Tom in this.

"Yes, sir," Marinette choked out.

Tom turned and walked over to Marinette's desk. The teen watched him confiscate her tablet and her cell phone. Then he reached over and disconnected her computer from the phone jack in the wall.

"You'll get these back in a week," Tom told her.

"But . . .!" Marinette began to protest, but a look from her father and the protest died in her throat. "Yes, sir."

"Now get ready for dinner," he told his daughter.

Tom and his wife left. As a somber shroud hung over the Dupain-Cheng household, Marinette pulled out the package of cookies she kept in her purse for Tikki emergencies and pulled it open. The girl handed one of the cookies to Tikki, who took a bite.

"I'm sorry for your suffering, Marinette," Tikki offered sweetly.

"So am I," Marinette sighed. "And the worst part is Manon is still out there! And so is Simon Says now!" She put her head in her hand. "What am I going to do?"

"What you think is best," Tikki replied, the cookie half eaten. Marinette looked at her. "Marinette, you're not the first Ladybug who had to choose between personal need and duty."

"What did they do?"

"What they felt was best," Tikki replied cryptically. "Duty sometimes requires sacrifice, Marinette. Only you can decide if the sacrifice demanded by duty is more than you can give."

"Yeah," sighed the girl. She stroked the top of Tikki's head with her finger tip, then got up and headed down for what promised to be a very tense dinner.

* * *

With Chloe's shrill accusations still ringing in his ears, Cat Noir vaulted across a street from one roof to another. He came to rest on a gutter. The mansion was in sight. It left him less than comforted. Rather than head for the mansion, he lingered on the roof. And worry about Ladybug began to creep back into his consciousness.

Right now she was safe from Simon Says in her alternate identity. But he worried that the moment she transformed, she would fall under Simon's spell again and surrender her Miraculous. Cat Noir didn't want that to happen, obviously for the advantage that would give Hawk Moth. But he felt a desire to protect Ladybug, too. No, it was more - - a need. Their time together was the most important thing in his life now. Even with her keeping him at arm's length, he felt closer to her than he had to anyone . . . since . . .

"Since Mom went away," the teen whispered and felt his eyes sting. "If Ladybug would just say yes, I would give up Dad and modeling and school and . . ." He smiled to himself. "Boy, you've got it bad. And you know - - it's not such a bad thing."

Rain had begun to fall on the city. The water coated his black costume and the reflection of the street lamps made it streak and glow. His golden hair dampened and clung to his head.

"Guess I better get home," he sighed. "I doubt even Simon Says would be out in this." He looked up at the heavens. "Looks like a bad one. Came up very suddenly, too."

A sudden sensation told him of danger. He flipped forward into the now driving rain and extended his baton to the ground. There was the sensation of electricity sizzling behind him, of heat and light. Following almost instantly was the buffeting sound waves from cacophonous thunder. Thrown off balance, Cat Noir toppled onto an awning, then bounced to the street.

"Lightning hit that building!" Cat Noir thought. "Right where I was sitting!"

He sprang up to his feet and searched for her. His search didn't take long. Hovering above him, thirty feet in the air, her parasol directing winds that were increasing to gale force and whipping rain droplets around, was Stormy Weather. Cautiously Cat Noir ducked under the awning, hoping she hadn't seen him.

It was a vain hope. Cat Noir averted his eyes when another lightning flash struck just to his left down the street, exploding a postal box. His eyes darting around, Cat Noir looked for a means to flank her. She knew where he was in a general sense, having followed his fall to the street. But she didn't have him pinpointed and that was an advantage to him. There were two more awnings to his left and the mouth of an alley to his right. After a moment's consideration, Cat Noir decided on a plan. But first he gently lay his baton on the sill of the shop he was in front of. The last thing he wanted was to be holding metal with Stormy Weather lobbing lightning bolts around.

Rain pounded the area, coming down in sheets. The wind was so fierce that the street lamp was vibrating. Stormy Weather, unaffected by the wind and the rain, hovered above the area searching for some sign of Cat Noir. If another lightning bolt was needed to flush him out, she would be only too happy to oblige.

Then her eye caught him darting out from under the awning, headed for the alley. She aimed her parasol, but didn't fire. Cat Noir had leaped onto the far building's wall in the alley, shielding him from the driving wind and rain, then pushed off and leaped back to the near building. Using his boots and claws, the youth quickly scaled the side of the building by jumping back and forth while Stormy Weather tried to draw a bead on him. Somersaulting onto the roof, Cat Noir ran to the ledge and leaped behind the roof's stairwell shelter, making sure to keep it between himself and Stormy Weather.

"So far she hasn't said anything," Cat Noir thought to himself. "That tells me she's being controlled like the others. And that makes her reaction time a beat slow."

The freak storm had evolved into a hailstorm. Stormy Weather hovered, waiting for some sign of her quarry as commanded. Suddenly a form appeared from behind the stairwell shelter, blown with the forceful winds. Stormy Weather pointed with her parasol and more lightning came down from the angry heavens, striking the form. Illuminated by the bolt, the tarp sizzled and burned as the lightning's electricity gripped it. Confused, Stormy Weather turned and found Cat Noir had leaped from the other side of the shelter. Carried by the forceful wind, he was practically on top of her. She tried to react, but Cat Noir clapped his arms around her.

And gripped nothing. Passing through Stormy Weather like she was a ghost, the teen found himself falling toward the cement pavement. Desperately he twisted in mid-air and managed to grab onto the cornice of the building. He looked around. It was still raining, but there was no lightning, no hail, no residue of the lightning strikes - - and no Stormy Weather.

But off in the distance, silhouetted against the indigo blue night sky, was a female form. And she had a thick, bushy tail.

"Volpina," Cat Noir scowled. She'd taken him in good. Pulling himself back to the roof with a somersault that landed him on his feet on the ledge, Cat Noir looked again. "Gone. If she was even there. It might be a lure, trying to lure me away . . ."

His eyes grew wide.

"From Ladybug," he gasped. "Was this fight with Stormy Weather just a way to keep me busy while Volpina attacks Ladybug? Was Simon Says just one of her illusions?"

Turning on his heels, Cat Noir headed back for where he and Ladybug had confronted Simon Says. Though the rooftops were slick with rain, the youth's footing was miraculously sure. As he sped through the night, all thought of being discovered missing by his father or Nathalie was gone from his head. Ladybug might be in danger. That was all that mattered to him.

When he reached the square, Cat Noir found hundreds of people crowding the area, clogging the streets and milling around in a sightless daze. Their clothing and hair was soaked by the downpour, which was growing heavier. Perched on a ledge above them, Cat Noir observed the situation and tried to spot Ladybug in the crowd.

"All these people just standing around in the rain," Cat Noir thought. "Like they're being controlled. Guess that shoots down the theory that Simon Says was an illusion. This would be one of his tricks." Then he smiled. "If it's not just another illusion."

Extending his baton into a pole, Cat Noir used the end to poke the nearest mindless person standing around. The pole nudged her. She didn't react, but Cat Noir could feel the resistance against his pole made by her weight and mass.

"Yeah, she's real," he thought. "Are Simon Says and Volpina somehow working together? And how did they make Chloe and Ivan revert? Hawk Moth has never demonstrated that much power before."

Noticing the wind picking up, Cat Noir looked around for some sign that he wasn't alone. Not that he believed Stormy Weather was lurking. He was looking for Volpina, because she wasn't going to catch him with the same trick twice. After a glance back at the milling crowd to see if anything had changed, Cat Noir looked again. And there, on a roof top blocks away, was her silhouette. His muscles tensed to spring.

"Where are you, Ladybug?" Simon Says called out, emerging from under an awning. "Are you going to let all of these poor helpless people just mill around in the rain? They probably want to get warm and dry before they catch cold! Don't you all?"

"Yes," the milling crowd said as one.

Cat Noir turned back to the scene. Volpina could wait. His first priority was getting to Simon and destroying that deck. That would free these poor people being used as bargaining hostages. More importantly, it would free Ladybug.

Then he saw her. To his right, working her way through the milling crowd was Ladybug. Her red and black costume stood out like a beacon among the crowd. She walked like a mindless zombie, drawn to Simon Says by his will. Cat Noir could see she was less than thirty feet from him.

All planning went out the window. In a desperate bid to reach him, Cat Noir planted his pole in the middle of the crowd and vaulted across the square. He was more than half way across before Simon Says even looked up. The eyes behind the black domino mask grew wide with surprise. The wind whipped at the fringes of his costume. The deck was still fanned before him.

Then a lightning bolt shot from the heavens and hit the metal vaulting pole like it was a lightning rod. The force of the strike knocked Cat Noir away from the pole and across the square, even as the discharge sped into the pavement. The force of the discharge scattered the mindless, milling citizens, knocking them off their feet and into those next to them. Cat Noir struck the side of the building with a heavy impact. His body actually bounced off of the brick structure and fell onto an awning below. The teen spun down the awning until there was no awning left, then dropped six feet to the sidewalk.

Barely conscious, Cat Noir rolled over onto his back and looked up. Stormy Weather hovered over him. Given the lightning strike, she was no illusion this time. Stepping up to his left shoulder was Simon Says. They both looked down on him, Simon smiling triumphantly while Stormy Weather only looked on blankly. Then a third set of legs appeared on his right. As his sight began to fade, Cat Noir looked over. It was Volpina, and her grin held little sympathy for him.

"Take his Miraculous," was the last thing Cat Noir heard.

Continued in Chapter 4


	4. Under Control

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 4: "Under Control"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

After a tense dinner, the Dupain-Cheng family retired to their family room to watch television. Marinette watched as well, as all of her electronics were confiscated and there was nothing to occupy her attention in her room except for her thirty-five pictures of Adrien Agreste. But television didn't capture her attention, either. The girl worried about what was going on outside, on the streets of Paris. Simon Says was out there. Cat Noir was looking for him, alone. And while she trusted Cat Noir's abilities, she trusted them more if she were beside him in battle.

And poor little Manon was still out there. That was even more puzzling and worrying. If she had been turned into The Puppeteer again, why hadn't she made an appearance? And if Simon Says was the controlling hand behind the akumatized people, what had become of Manon?

Absently Marinette got up from the sofa and looked out the window. Tom and Sabine looked over at her. They knew how bored and frustrated she was. But at least she was safe.

"It's really storming out there," Marinette commented absently. "Between the wind and the rain, I can barely see across the square."

"It came up suddenly, too," Sabine commented.

"I don't remember the weather forecast calling for rain," Tom added. "But they've been wrong before."

"Dad," Marinette spoke up suddenly. "There are people out there in that heavy rain!"

"Probably got caught on the way home or something," he shrugged.

"No," Marinette persisted. "Dozens of people! It looks like down the block that the entire street is filled with people just standing there."

"In this rain? Don't they have any sense?" Sabine asked

Marinette looked harder. "Maybe they don't. The one man that just passed by looked like he was hypnotized or," and instantly Marinette thought of Simon Says, "something."

"Anything is possible in Paris these days," Tom sighed. He brought up the television remote. "Maybe there's something on the news casts."

Lingering at the window, Marinette turned and looked at the news cast. A banner across the bottom of the picture read "breaking news".

". . . are advised to avoid this section of the city until police can get the situation under control," the newscaster advised. "Again, a reappearance of the supernatural being known as Simon Says has brought a section of the city to a halt and put approximately seventy-five citizens in immediate danger."

"Marinette!" Sabine said sharply when she noticed her daughter headed for the door. "Stay away from the door please!"

"Simon says," Marinette replied distantly, "must go to him."

Like a flash Tom was up out of his seat. But Marinette was already out the door. The burly baker burst out into the rain swept street.

"Marinette!" he bellowed anxiously. But there was no sign of her. The man glanced around furtively, then ducked back inside to call the police.

Once she heard the door close, Marinette emerged from her hiding place behind a potted plant outside of the pastry shop. Her clothes and hair were soaked, but all she could do was stare after her stricken father.

"Oh, Tikki," Marinette moaned as the Kwami floated up beside her head. "I am for certain going to Hell for this!"

"Sometimes we do what we feel we have to for the greater good, Marinette," Tikki answered. "Stopping Hawk Moth will make it up to them."

"Right. Tikki! Spots . . .!" Then a realization came over her. "I can't transform! I'll fall under Simon Says' control again!" Frantically she thought for a moment. "I'll just have to see if I can help as Marinette. I've come this far."

"You don't need magical powers to help," smiled Tikki. "But you might want to be a little extra cautious."

Pushing through the crowd of mesmerized citizens filling the intersection, Marinette strained to get a better view while at the same time trying not to be conspicuous. The last thing she wanted was to come to Simon Says' attention. She knew what being under his control felt like and it was a chilling sensation. Glancing at the people gathered in the street, Marinette could see they were completely under Simon Says' control. But why? Were they just hostages to threaten in order to lure her and Cat Noir out into the open? And where was Cat Noir?

Immediately Marinette ducked down behind two people standing in the street. She had spotted Stormy Weather hovering above the area. So that was the explanation for the elements. Seeing her just made the odds Marinette faced skyrocket. And it made her think: Hawk Moth had never demonstrated the power to infect more than one person at a time. Had he gotten stronger? Was his plan to swarm her and Cat Noir with old enemies until one of them got lucky? Or they were defeated by sheer numbers? Or was it Simon who had forced their resurrection through his akumatized deck?

Snaking through the crowd, Marinette got closer. But the closer she got, the more her spirits sank. Volpina was in her line of vision, too. Was that it? Was Simon and Stormy Weather, and Stoneheart before just cunning illusions? No, Stoneheart was real. Simon's control over her was real, too. As Marinette worked her way closer, praying that one of the three akumatized villains didn't glance her way, she wondered what she could do. Simon Says was visible now, too. The three were gathered around something, some poor creature they were about to victimize. The urge in Marinette was strong to intercede. But what could she do without her Ladybug powers?

"Take his Miraculous," she heard Volpina say with wicked delight. Marinette's brain seemed to explode. They were talking about Cat Noir.

"No!" Marinette cried, shoving her way out of the protection of the mesmerized crowd. She lurched forward, hoping to cut the distance between them before any of the villains could react. Maybe she could reach Simon Says in time to knock his deck of cards away. Maybe she could be enough of a distraction that Cat Noir could get up and get away.

Or maybe she could be Marinette Dupain-Cheng at the worst possible moment. Her flat soled shoe hit the pavement slick with rain water and slid out from under her. Bereft of her balance, Marinette toppled to her side and impacted with the pavement. Looking up timidly, the teen saw Volpina, Stormy Weather and Simon Says standing there looking at her. The disdain and contempt on their faces was clear.

"Well what do we have here? A hero?" Volpina mocked. Then her expression hardened. "I hate heroes."

"No, you don't!" Marinette shouted back, up on her knees in the puddled rain. "That's the akuma talking! You're not terrible people! You're not this! You're not something twisted by jealousy and hatred into a perversion of humanity!" Her eyes locked with Volpina's. "There's a person inside of you who just wants to be liked and respected. And you listened to Hawk Moth when he told you this was the way to achieve it and you believed him! But it's a lie! It doesn't work! You're not liked this way! You're not respected! You're just feared!"

"Maybe I've decided that I like being feared," Volpina sneered.

"Why?" Marinette asked. "Why would you want to be feared?"

"It makes you safe from the people who want to hurt you."

"It makes you alone," Marinette argued. "It's a trap. Don't fall into Hawk Moth's trap again."

Stormy Weather merely hovered blankly over the scene, waiting for instructions. Volpina stared bitterly at Marinette. Simon Says, though, brought up his fanned deck and moved to pick a card.

"You bleat very nicely for a sheep," Simon said. "Maybe you should be one. Simon Says . . .!"

Interrupting him was a hand clad in black. It shot up from below and locked around the fanned cards.

"Cataclysm," Cat Noir grunted through clenched teeth.

In shock, Simon Says fell back. His deck stayed in Cat Noir's hand. Black energy formed around the hand and in moments the cards disintegrated. A beat passed and Simon Says' colorful suit and bowler disintegrated. Simon Grimault staggered back another pace, slipped and fell against the side of a building. He stared at his now normal again hands.

The spell broken, the crowd began looking around in confusion. Then they noticed Cat Noir, Volpina and Stormy Weather. Instantly panic broke out and the crowd scattered. All the while Simon Grimault put his head in his hands and lamented the new wrong turn his life had taken.

"Bad kitty!" snarled Volpina. She struck Cat Noir across the head with her flute. Cat Noir spun back to the pavement, clutching his head. While he writhed in pain, Volpina bent down next to him. Her hands sought the ring on his hand. As he clutched his head, she tried to work the ring off.

Out of the darkness came a red and black yo-yo. It wrapped around Volpina's upper torso, trapping her arms to her sides. The line drew taut. Volpina was jerked away and landed in the gutter, her flute bouncing away from her. Twisting her body, Volpina saw Ladybug leaping toward her with that familiar determined look in her eye.

"Stormy Weather! Defend!" Volpina shouted.

Stormy Weather turned and pointed her parasol at the oncoming Ladybug. Instantly the rain turned to snow. Propelled by the howling winds, the snow pelted Ladybug in mid-flight, causing her to cover up into a ball. She landed at an angle and rolled to her feet. Her leaping ability allowed her to avoid two blasts, but Ladybug had to retract her yo-yo to defend herself. Now free, Volpina scrambled to her feet and retrieved her flute.

Keeping Volpina in peripheral sight, Ladybug turned to Stormy Weather's latest assault. The akumatized teen launched ice pellets at her. Ladybug spun her yo-yo and deflected the pellets before they could hit her. But that meant she was too busy to stop Volpina as the girl put her flute to her mouth.

A haunting song emanated from the wooden flute. And suddenly Ladybug found that the entire world was literally upside down. Perspective was reversed for her. The street that should have been below her was above her now and she somehow clung to it. Likewise Volpina, Stormy Weather and the entire square were above her line of sight when they should have been below it. The flute lowered from Volpina's mouth, revealing a triumphant grin.

But the grin disappeared when Ladybug expertly executed a forward somersault in spite of the skewed perspective and lunged for her. Volpina barely avoided a thrusting kick.

"How are you able to move so confidently? You should believe that you're upside down!" Volpina gasped.

"I do," Ladybug smiled with annoying confidence. "Doesn't bother me. I'm funny that way."

Her yo-yo shot out and knocked the flute from Volpina's hands. Turning, Volpina scrambled after it. Ladybug turned back to Stormy Weather. But in the time she had spent focused on Volpina, Ladybug hadn't noticed that Stormy Weather had flash frozen all of the pooled water in the street. When Ladybug started to move, she found her feet frozen to the pavement. Looking up, she found Stormy Weather hovering above her, bringing her parasol to bear for the kill shot.

Again the yo-yo shot out, wrapping around the mid-section of the parasol. With a mighty jerk, Ladybug yanked down on the yo-yo and pulled the parasol out of Stormy Weather's hands. The parasol no longer in her hands, Stormy Weather had nothing to control the elements with and no way to stay aloft. As Ladybug swung her yo-yo down to break the ice around her feet, she heard Stormy Weather fall to the sidewalk like a sack of flour.

Once free of the ice, Ladybug crouched for any new attack. It wasn't long in coming. Volpina's flute, elongated into a staff, swung at her head and Ladybug narrowly managed to avoid the swing. Flipping over onto her feet, she swung her yo-yo by her side so she could deflect any new attack. That's when she saw she was confronted by ten Volpinas, each ready for any attack she might make.

Bounding forward, Ladybug launched herself at the nearest one. That Volpina reacted, and Ladybug twisted to avoid the swing of her staff. But when her yo-yo struck that Volpina, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Seeing two others attacking, Ladybug swung her weapon at them. They, too, evaporated upon being struck. Minutes later, all ten Volpinas had been dispatched. Ladybug looked around. There was no sign of Volpina and Stormy Weather was gone as well. But Cat Noir was still there and still clutching his head.

Running over to him, Ladybug knelt by his side and cradled his head in her lap. Her teeth bit into her lower lip in anguish, for Cat Noir was bleeding from a nasty head wound opened up by Volpina's flute. For a panicky moment, Ladybug was afraid Cat Noir was going to die. The absolute, utter horror and desperation that filled her was more than she expected. She found her hand caressing the side of his face.

"Calm down," she told herself. "He needs medical attention." Then she noticed his ring. It was flashing on its third countdown light. "He'll revert before I can get him to a hospital! I have to do something now!"

"Hey, M'lady," Cat Noir smiled weakly. "Thanks for giving me a hand. Although . . . I could have taken them . . ."

"Sure," Ladybug smiled to hide her anguish. "Everybody knows that. But let's get you fixed up now."

"I'm all right," he sighed distantly. "Laying in your lap . . . is the best medicine I could get . . ."

Cat Noir began to close his eyes and Ladybug was irrationally gripped with the fear that it would be for the last time. Galvanized into action, she threw her yo-yo up in the air until the string reached its end. "Lucky charm!" rang out over the area. Appearing in the air was a plastic bandage colored red with black spots. It fell into her hand. "That's all you could manage, Tikki?"

Without other options, Ladybug placed the bandage over the wound on Cat Noir's head. Once in contact with his skin, there was a brilliant flash of light. When the light died away, the bandage was gone. So was the head wound. Cat Noir opened his eyes and got to a sitting position with no apparent ill effects. Ladybug felt the sudden urge to hug him.

But she refrained.

"Thanks," Cat Noir said.

"Thanks for protecting me when Simon Says had me," Ladybug volleyed back. She'd never noticed how cute his mouth was before. Then she noticed his ring was down to its last light.

"Looks like I'm running out of time," Cat Noir observed, noticing the ring as well. "You too," and he nodded at her earring. "We need to meet - - figure out what's going on and what we can do to stop this."

"How about nine a.m. tomorrow on the roof of College Francois DuPont?" Ladybug suggested.

"Our first date," Cat Noir grinned.

"How one human being got to be so full of himself," Ladybug smirked. "Don't be late," she warned him. With that she got to her feet. She was about to run off, but a voice stopped her.

"Ladybug!" Simon Grimault spoke up. He looked down when she turned to him. "Thank you. And I'm sorry it happened again."

"Don't apologize," she told him. "You're just as much a victim here as everyone else."

"Yes," he sighed. "But I'm the one who is going to pay for it."

* * *

"Why didn't you keep attacking?" Hawk Moth asked the little girl sitting at the table in his attic observatory. He had to be careful not to allow the frustration he felt to affect the timber of his voice.

"Ladybug was there," Manon replied as if Hawk Moth had just asked the most foolish question in the universe. She reached over and pulled the dolls of Volpina and Stormy Weather to her. "She's too strong. I can't beat her with just two dolls." Manon was wearing the mask and the blue and black costume of The Puppeteer.

"Perhaps if you tried. . ." Hawk Moth suggested.

"No!" Puppeteer said sharply. "I lost my Simon Says doll because of her! And I lost Antibug and Stoneheart! I can't lose anymore dolls!"

"They're very strong. And Ladybug is weakened . . ."

"I NEED MORE DOLLS!"

"How about I get you Ladybug and Cat Noir dolls?" Hawk Moth ventured. "They you can control them directly."

"No," Puppeteer shook her head. "I have to beat her. Then I can have dolls again. Then I can do whatever I want again. I have to beat her."

"All right," Hawk Moth replied patiently. "Who would you like?"

"Not Evillustrator or Lady Wi-Fi," Puppeteer frowned. "They lost last time, so they're no good." The child thought. "How about Princess Fragrance? And Animan! They were good!"

"And together with Volpina and Stormy Weather, they can't help but defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir," Hawk Moth said smoothly.

"Yeah! They'll beat them good!" Puppeteer said, smiling her toothy grin.

"And secure two Miraculous for me," Hawk Moth added to himself.

Continued in Chapter 5


	5. Keeping Secrets

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 5: "Keeping Secrets"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

As Alya headed for school, a sixth sense told her to look back just as she was entering the stately plaza in front of College Francois DuPont. Sure enough, her best friend Marinette was racing down the street trying to catch up with her.

"Sorry I'm late!" Marinette gasped, her face flushed and her lungs heaving.

"What else is new?" Alya smiled. "I waited at the corner as long as I could."

"No, you're fine! It was my fault!"

"So, did you hear about the happening last night down by the coffee shop?" Alya asked. There was a sly hint to her question that went right over Marinette's head.

"Did Ladybug and Cat Noir take on some poor akumatized person again?" Marinette asked. "I couldn't go out. Dad grounded me."

"Really?" Alya asked with a Cheshire smile. Marinette began to get concerned. "Then I wonder who this is?"

Producing her phone, Alya scrolled to an mp4 file and played it. There, on video, was Marinette's impassioned plea to Volpina, Simon Says and Stormy Weather to throw off the effects of the akuma and return to being normal. Marinette's eyes grew to saucers.

"You were there?" she gasped. "Of course you were there! Alya, you can't show that to ANYONE!"

"Why not?" Alya asked incredulously. "Girl, you stood up to three akumatized monsters! You tried to save about seventy-five people, not to mention the city, not to mention Lila and the others. That's about as heroic a thing as I've ever seen anyone do! You should get some credit for doing something like that."

"I only got out of the house because I pretended to be hypnotized by Simon Says!" Marinette howled. "If Mom and Dad find out I wasn't hypnotized, I am a DEAD DUCK! Please delete it! PLEASE!"

"It would really get you in hot water with your parents, huh?" Alya asked. Marinette's head bobbed up and down as hyper speed. "Boy, your luck just runs true to form. I bet that video would have really impressed Adrien." She sighed. "I promise I won't post it."

"Thank you!" Marinette squealed and hugged her friend.

"But I'm not going to delete it. What you did was kind of inspirational. No way I'm going to lose that to history." She smirked at Marinette. "And some day, when you're famous and it can't hurt you any longer, I will post it just to show everybody what kind of caring person you really are."

"Just as long as Mom and Dad don't see it, I don't care," Marinette exhaled in relief.

As they headed for the school, Adrien's limousine pulled up. Not waiting for The Gorilla to open the door, Adrien burst out and ran up to Marinette and Alya.

"H-Hi, Adrien," Marinette stammered, feeling her stomach begin to knot.

"Hi," he said, looking directly at Marinette. Quickly she felt like she was in the grip of a cobra's stare. "I saw you last night by the coffee shop. That was a really brave thing you did."

"Y-You saw that?" Marinette whimpered.

"You were there, too?" Alya asked.

"I was," Adrien hesitated, "around. Don't mention it to my father or Nathalie," and he winked conspiratorially. "That took a lot of courage, Marinette. And you helped Cat Noir out of a really tight spot."

"Thank you," Marinette replied, her eyes captured by his. "But - - I only did what I had to do."

"A lot of people wouldn't have," Adrien told her. As he looked in the eyes of the young girl, he was beginning to feel something form: chemistry, perhaps?

"ADRIEN!" Chloe gasped, wrapping her arms around Adrien and surreptitiously nudging Marinette away with her hip. "I heard you were out last night in that horrible thing that was happening by the coffee shop! Isn't it just awful!"

"Yeah," Adrien replied, his manners barely masking his annoyance. "Awful."

"Of course, what can you expect when low class riff-raff are parading around the city dressed like circus clowns and interfering in the lives of people like us?"

"People like you, huh," Alya interjected. "Speaking of that, I happened to get a picture of one of the 'riff-raff circus clowns' making everyone's lives miserable." She pulled out her phone. "Want to see it?"

For a moment, Marinette thought it was going to be her. Instead, the picture showed Cat Noir struggling on a roof top with Antibug. Chloe gasped loud enough for the entire school to hear her.

"WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?" she angrily demanded.

"A good reporter never reveals her sources," Alya replied smugly.

"Well it was obviously an imposter! Anybody can put on a costume!"

"I'm sure," Alya needled. "I hear they're as easy to come by as Ladybug costumes."

"Or Lady Wi-Fi!" Chloe snarled back. Flipping her hair disdainfully, Chloe turned and headed for school. Sabrina, who had been hanging back, scrambled to catch up.

"This one's going right on the blog," Alya smirked, her thumbs pecking at her phone. "Go ahead, Adrien. You were saying something about Marinette being a real life hero?"

Both Adrien and Marinette looked away awkwardly. Finally Adrien summoned the courage to speak.

And then the bell sounded.

"Of course," muttered the boy. "I meant what I said, Marinette. You were as brave as Ladybug and without all of her powers. I admire what you did."

"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette replied, brushing her hair behind her ear.

He nodded, then scurried up the steps to where Nino was waiting. Marinette took hold of Alya's arm and led her up the stairs, as she was still blogging on her phone and not watching where she was going. It didn't stop Alya from talking, though.

"Dare I say we're actually seeing progress between you two?" Alya smiled as she typed.

"He was just being kind," Marinette replied.

"Take your victories where you can get them," Alya said. Then she stopped typing, stopped and looked Marinette in the eye. "He admires you. That's a BIG step up from invisible. You need to build on that."

"I don't want to seem pushy," Marinette demurred.

"I'm not saying be like Chloe," Alya chuckled. "Just let him know you like him, or respect him, or admire him. Something that'll get you closer to one of you asking for that date."

"DATE!" Marinette mentally gasped, stopping suddenly. "Cat Noir!" Then she doubled over and began grimacing.

"Marinette? You OK? I know Chloe can have that affect on people . . .!" Alya exclaimed.

"Hurts," Marinette gasped out.

"I'll take you to the nurse!"

"No, you'll be late for class," Marinette rasped. "I can make it. Just let me see your notes tonight?"

"You know it," Alya nodded and smiled. "I'll even come over to your place, since you're in 'jail'."

Marinette smiled weakly and headed for the nurse's office. When everyone was in class, Marinette ducked into a vacant stairwell.

"Tikki," she whispered, glancing around nervously. "Spot's on."

Adrien had also used a shallow excuse that he wasn't certain Nino believed, but would cover anyway. Moments and one transformation later, he was climbing up the side of the building and onto the roof. There he found Ladybug patiently waiting for him. She hadn't yet noticed him, so Cat Noir took the opportunity to crouch on the cornice and just look at her. It was like he was trying to burn her image permanently onto his eyes.

"How long have you been there?" Ladybug asked, finally noticing him.

"Not nearly long enough," he sighed, a silly grin on his face.

"Would you get serious!" Ladybug huffed. "We have a huge problem here!"

"Somebody, and we can both probably guess who, is lobbing old adversaries at us two and three at a time," Cat Noir summarized. "Probably hoping to gang up on us and get our Miraculous."

"And let's not forget about Manon," Ladybug reminded him. "She's been missing for over a day now. Somehow Hawk Moth has managed to turn her into The Puppeteer again and through her he's reanimating a lot of his old akumatizations."

"Is that a word?" Cat Noir asked. The frosty look he got from Ladybug sent a chill down his spine. "All right, we have to find Manon, too. But that doesn't necessarily mean Hawk Moth has her. As I remember, The Puppeteer liked fighting face to face."

"Well who else could it be? Who else can control people remotely? It's obviously not Simon Says. You destroyed his deck last night. Besides, only The Puppeteer can reactivate a person's akuma-self."

"If we're really fighting reactivated akuma-selves," Cat Noir suggested. He noticed Ladybug's interest. "Volpina is back. We both saw her. I even fought her earlier in the night, thinking I was fighting Stormy Weather. What if this is all one big illusion that Volpina made us see?"

Ladybug pondered that point. Cat Noir watched her, hoping that he'd impressed her with his deduction. But also because in his eyes, Ladybug even thought in a sexy manner.

"No, it doesn't fit," Ladybug shook her head.

"I've got the bruises to prove it," Cat Noir protested.

"I don't doubt you had a run-in with Volpina and she got you to fight something that wasn't there," Ladybug assured him. "That's her style all the way. But Simon Says was real. So was Stoneheart. So was Antibug. Alya even got a picture of Antibug. They were no illusion. So why just Stormy Weather? And how is she controlling them? Because the Stormy Weather I fought by the coffee shop was real enough."

"You sure?" Cat Noir asked. Ladybug pondered for a moment.

"Uh, let's not go there," she waved her hands while shaking her head. "Otherwise we'll start doubting everything we see."

Cat Noir smirked at her.

"Just from what happened last night," Ladybug continued, "it's clear that Simon Says and Volpina are working together. Maybe they all are."

"No," Cat Noir shook his head. "Stormy Weather and Antibug were definitely being controlled."

"OK, just Simon Says and Volpina," Ladybug said, then lifted her open hand, "and who? Who resurrected the akuma-selves? They're not illusions, so that lets out Volpina. And they were still active after you destroyed Simon Says' deck, so that lets him out. It has to be Manon."

"Or someone new," Cat Noir added.

"I guess," Ladybug nodded. "But Manon is the likely suspect."

"OK, so where is she?" Cat Noir asked. "We've got no way of tracking her. And if she's with Hawk Moth, we REALLY have no way to find her. We've been looking for him for months."

"There has to be a way they're monitoring us," Ladybug reasoned. "Puppeteer can't really guide her puppets that well unless she can see them. How is he seeing us?"

Her train of thought was interrupted when a piercing shriek came from out of the school below them. She and Cat Noir turned to the sound. It was quickly followed up by dozens more screams and the general sound of panic.

"That question's going to have to wait," Cat Noir said. "I think we're about to have another stop on the reunion tour."

"Race you down stairs!" Ladybug said as she sped past him. The girl leaped into space, somersaulted in mid-air, then caught an overhang with her yo-yo and swung down to the first floor.

Nimbly landing on the stone banister next to the granite steps leading up to the Academy, Ladybug tried to calm the panicked students rushing out of the school. It was for nothing. Few of the students could hear her over the din and the few who could chose not to listen. After a few frustrating attempts, she gave up. When Cat Noir perched on the stone banister opposite her, Ladybug nodded. Waiting for the door to fly open again, she leaped over the queue of frantic teens, through the open door and inside, somersaulting to her feet. Cat Noir landed next to her mere seconds later. The pair scanned the entrance for trouble.

"Look!" Cat Noir shouted, pointing toward one of the classrooms. Padding through the hall with nervous menace was a full grown black leopard.

"How did it get here?" Ladybug asked. "Did it escape from the zoo?"

"Or maybe it's Animan," Cat Noir countered. "Or maybe it's another one of Volpina's illusions."

"One way to find out," Ladybug replied, spinning her yo-yo. A sudden move shot the weapon out to the length of its string. It struck the big cat in the face, drawing an angry snarl for a reply.

"I think he's real," Cat Noir swallowed. "I also think you made him mad."

To prove Cat Noir's point, the cat suddenly sprang at them. Instantly the pair split, with Ladybug going left and Cat Noir going right. The cat landed and pivoted, chasing after Ladybug. With speed that belied its size, the cat lunged again, narrowly missing grabbing Ladybug as she threw her yo-yo line and swung away.

Cat Noir had not been idle. When he saw that the cat was chasing Ladybug, he took several steps forward, then cut the distance between them with a prodigious broad jump. As his leap took him into the cat, Cat Noir's baton elongated into a staff. Swinging it like an ax, the hero brought it down across the leopard's neck and the back of its skull. The cat went down like it had been shot. As he stood over the felled cat, Ladybug swung down and joined him.

"Did you hurt him?" Ladybug gasped.

"There's not a lot else I could do to stop him," Cat Noir protested. "I hope I didn't hurt him too bad, but it was him or everybody else."

"But we don't know that he hurt anybody besides attacking us," Ladybug admonished him. "If a black leopard suddenly shows up in class, he doesn't have to attack anyone to start a panic."

"Fine. When he comes to, I'll apologize," Cat Noir sighed. "Hey, where'd he go?"

The two heroes looked around, for the black leopard was suddenly not there.

"It was Volpina!" exclaimed Cat Noir.

"No, look down there," Ladybug bent down and pointed to the floor. Crawling across the black tile, its dark coloring blending in with the tile, was an Etruscan Shrew. The shrew, only fourteen centimeters long, glanced up at her.

And suddenly a black bear reared up on its hind legs, right before the eyes of the two heroes. Ladybug fell backwards to avoid a swipe of the bear's paw, tumbling back and rolling to her feet. Cat Noir lunged to the side to avoid the swing. As he fell, his staff whipped around and struck the bear's hind legs. The whip force of the staff striking the bear's legs swept them out from under it and the bear landed on its back hard.

The bear was struggling to keep focus. Ladybug judged that it was still reeling from the pair of blows Cat Noir had delivered. So when the bear transformed into a white horse, she was ready. Her yo-yo wrapped around the horse's neck and she pulled hard to keep Animan in place.

For all the good it did her. Hunching his shoulders, Animan pulled Ladybug off of her feet. The horse lurched forward, Ladybug being dragged several feet. But it struggled to find secure footing on the waxed linoleum floor of the school. Ladybug slid to a stop as the horse transformed into a rabbit and easily slipped the yo-yo harness. Cat Noir rushed forward, but stopped when Animan transformed into a lion.

"Animan!" Ladybug shouted. "What do you want? Why are you here?"

The lion answered with a roar of defiance and lunged at Cat Noir. The teen leaped over the lion's swiping paws, placed his hand on the lion's head and pushed off to leap away from the lion. Cat Noir waited for the lion's next move, the hero's baton at his side ready to use.

"I think he's being controlled like the others!" Cat Noir shouted to her. "We need something to catch and hold him! But what? He'll just turn into a mouse and slip out of any cage or restraint!"

"Or I could use 'Lucky Charm' on him," Ladybug suggested while spinning her yo-yo in case the lion moved.

"Not unless you have to!" Cat Noir told her. "Animan might not be alone here. We need to stay together in case another akumatized-form shows up."

"Then he's going to have to go to sleep," Ladybug said to herself. "Cat Noir! Keep him busy! I'll be back in a minute!" And up Ladybug leaped to the second floor.

"Keep him busy?" gasped Cat Noir. He glanced at the lion. The lion bared fangs. "As what, his chew toy?"

The lion swung at Cat Noir. He deflected the blow with his staff, then began poking the lion with it to keep him at bay. Up on the second floor, Ladybug ran to the chemistry lab. Inside the room, she ripped open the chemical cabinet. Quickly searching, she seized a bottle of ammonium and one of ether. Racing out of the room to the staircase, Ladybug hopped on the banister and slid down to the first floor.

"Get as far away from him as you . . .!" Ladybug called out. Then she stopped.

The lion sat on one side of a classroom door, docile and non-threatening. On the other side of the door, Cat Noir stood. He was straight, motionless and staring blankly ahead. And the reason why stood between the two.

Princess Fragrance smiled at Ladybug.

Continued in Chapter 6


	6. Keeping Control

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 6: "Keeping Control"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

Volpina walked down a dark corridor. She could feel Stormy Weather behind her. The youth felt no threat from Stormy Weather, for she knew that the girl's mind was not her own. Still, it didn't make the trip any easier. The corridor was dimly lit and old. Volpina had a sense that they were under ground. The fluorescent light given off by the periodic lamps only made the hall seem even more unearthly.

As they turned a corner, the two came up to a door. It was solid steel in a steel frame, and much more modern than the corridor it was in. Volpina eyed the door impatiently.

"Are we just supposed to knock?" she asked of no one in particular.

As if in answer, the electronic lock on the door released and the door pulled away slightly from the frame. Stormy Weather pushed the door opened and entered as if bidden. Cautiously Volpina followed. Inside the door was a twelve by twelve room outfitted with an ornate bed and plush chairs, a table and a sofa. A wide-screen television was mounted on a wall and the light inside the room was warm and inviting. As Volpina glanced around, she noticed a shelving unit. The unit contained a selection of DVDs and books. It also contained a miniature doll of every menace Ladybug and Cat Noir had faced since the emergence of Hawk Moth. Reflexively Volpina's eyes locked onto the doll that resembled her.

"Good," a voice came. "You've arrived."

While Stormy Weather stood blankly waiting for instructions, Volpina turned to the voice. Standing by the sofa was a tall, thin figure in a business suit. A gray cowl covered his head and obscured his identity, but not his lower face. Sitting on the sofa was a small girl in a black costume and mask, the costume trimmed in blue and white. She was manipulating two dolls. Volpina recognized them as representations of Princess Fragrance and Animan. The child glanced over her shoulder at Volpina. Her frown was momentary, but not encouraging. Volpina's attention returned to the mysterious man.

"I followed her," Volpina replied, nodding to Stormy Weather. "What is this place?"

"A safe haven," Hawk Moth smiled, "to protect us from interference." He looked Volpina over for a moment. "Why did you break off the attack against Ladybug and Cat Noir?"

"We'd just lost Simon Says," Volpina replied calmly. "Cat Noir had already used his ultimate attack. Once Ladybug was free from Simon's control, she would have used her Lucky Charm attack and taken us both out."

"You chickened out," The Puppeteer grumbled as she played with the two dolls.

"We pulled back. The advantage was lost," Volpina argued. "Better to regroup and attack again at a more advantageous time."

"Bawk bawk," muttered the child.

"Now, Puppeteer," Hawk Moth said patiently, "it was a judgment call. Volpina was there. We were only watching. That's why we gave her and Simon control of their actions; so they could make those situational decisions." He glanced at Volpina and smiled. "We have to trust their judgment."

"Give me another shot at Ladybug," Volpina exhorted him. "That's why you had the child bring me back! I can take her!"

"We have other plans at the moment," Hawk Moth replied. He smiled when Volpina tensed. "Calm yourself. You still have a part to play. But Ladybug and Cat Noir will be expecting you and Stormy Weather. They won't be expecting Princess Fragrance and Animan. The element of surprise, my dear."

"And if they fail?" Volpina asked.

"Then I'll use more dolls," The Puppeteer snapped petulantly. "I've got a whole shelf full of dolls. I'll use them all if I have to. But I'm GOING to win!"

"Take Stormy Weather," Hawk Moth told her. "Monitor the situation. Extract our akuma-villains if necessary. After all, we don't want to lose any more soldiers."

"I can take her!" Volpina reiterated.

"If it comes to that. Once we've got them worn down, if it takes a mass strike, then so be it."

"But . . .!"

"Volpina," Hawk Moth said, his hand on The Puppeteer's shoulder, "WE gave you your abilities back. Don't make it necessary to take them from you again."

Volpina's mouth thinned.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "Come on, Stormy," and she headed for the door.

* * *

Princess Fragrance stood in the classroom doorway. Flanking her on either side was a very docile Animan in lion form and an equally docile Cat Noir.

"Oh, Cat Noir," groaned Ladybug, her shoulders drooping, "not again!"

"What can I say?" Princess Fragrance beamed. "Everyone just finds me so enthralling."

"At your service, Princess Fragrance," the two helpless males said.

"Well I'll just have to change that!" Ladybug shot back.

She was about to spring forward. Then the doors to the other classrooms opened. Out came students by the dozens, spilling into the Fourier at an even pace. Each one had the same chilling vacant smile. Each one said the same thing. Ladybug spun around, her yo-yo at the ready. She quickly found herself surrounded by students, by faculty and by maintenance personnel. They all converged on her at the same steady pace, and they all chanted the same thing.

"At your service, Princess Fragrance."

The two bottles of chemicals in one hand, Ladybug hooked the decorative chandelier hanging from the ceiling and reeled herself up as several students lunged at her. Swinging, she landed on the railing of the second floor. More students and faculty emerged from the rooms and began advancing on her like zombies from a horror film.

"Get her!" snapped Princess Fragrance.

Using his staff as a vaulting pole, Cat Noir launched himself up to where Ladybug was avoiding enthralled students. Animan changed into a chimpanzee and quickly scaled the support post to the second floor landing. Once he vaulted the railing, his form grew and swelled until he was a fully grown gorilla. The gorilla lunged at Ladybug. She vaulted over his charge and planted a kick in his back. The force of the blow sent him flying into the mesmerized soldiers of Princess Fragrance, knocking them all down.

Twisting, Ladybug narrowly avoided Cat Noir, who had leaped from the railing at her. He was clutching for her throat this time, rather than her Miraculous. The pair landed nimbly and faced off. Using his staff, Cat Noir jabbed at Ladybug several times. Each jab was parried by her spinning yo-yo. The clang of the metal staff echoed through the halls of the school.

"Come on, Cat Noir! Throw it off!" Ladybug appealed to him. "I need you!"

"I obey Princess Fragrance," Cat Noir replied with a lilting melody.

Feeling someone clutching at her pigtails, Ladybug whirled and kicked several enthralled students away. But that gave Cat Noir an opening. He lunged for her, jamming the end of his staff into her stomach. Grunting in pain, Ladybug rode the pole as she gripped it with one hand, then rolled herself around into a handstand on the staff.

Thrown off by the shift in weight, Cat Noir's staff was shoved into the floor. As he stumbled and tried to regain his balance, Ladybug pushed off and somersaulted over him, landing behind her partner. Quickly her yo-yo was out and wrapped around Cat Noir's ankles. A quick jerk pulled his feet out from under him and sent him face first to the floor.

Immediately Ladybug was enveloped by the massive arms and chest of Animan's gorilla form. The gorilla crushed her to him, his strength crushing her against him to the point that she couldn't breathe as his hot breath seared her face. Ladybug tried to push free of the crushing hug, but the gorilla was just too strong. There was only one thing to do. Shifting the bottle of ether to her free hand, Ladybug worked it up near Animan's face. When it was as close as she could get it, Ladybug popped the stopper with her thumb.

But denied a chance to observe what she was doing, Ladybug had grabbed the ammonium instead. Still the result was in her favor. The gorilla instantly flinched back from the burning scent of the ammonium. He dropped Ladybug as he swiped at his nose trying to banish the terrible scent. Ladybug was about to replace the stopper in the ammonium bottle when she was tackled by Cat Noir

Over the railing the bottle flew, knocked out of Ladybug's grasp. It surrendered to gravity and crashed on the floor, right in the midst of the army of mesmerized students and teachers ascending the stairs from the first floor to the second. The bottle exploded, sending ammonia fumes everywhere.

"Hey, what happened?" one of the students asked. "What's going on? And why do I smell vanilla?"

"Vanilla?" gasped another student emerging from his trance. "Smells like what my dog does in the corner of the room."

"The ammonium," Ladybug thought as she rolled around on the floor grappling with Cat Noir. "It must have reacted with Princess Fragrance's mind control perfume! It changed the chemical composition and erased the mind control properties!"

But there was little she could do with that new found information. Cat Noir had gained the upper hand, using his strength to press his staff across her throat. Straddling her stomach to pin her down, Cat Noir hunched his shoulders and pressed the metal staff against Ladybug's windpipe, cutting off her air.

"C-Cat . . .!" she gasped, trying to break through the haze in her mind.

Unable to choke out the rest, Ladybug tried to buck him off from atop her. Cat Noir bent forward, keeping Ladybug pinned down and gasping for air. Her hand pushed against his chest, but she didn't have the strength or leverage to shove him away. Time was running out.

Desperately her hand brought the bottle of ether up to Cat Noir's face and popped the stopper with her thumb. Shaking the bottle at him, she was able to get some of the ether in his face. The chemical worked quickly, seizing Cat Noir and putting him in a groggy state. With his body slack enough, Ladybug was able to shift enough and slide Cat Noir off of her. The hero slid to the floor and lay on his side, stuporous.

"You haven't beaten me yet, Ladybug!" Princess Fragrance snapped.

She raised her perfume gun to try to counteract the effects of the ammonium. Suddenly a yo-yo shot out and knocked the gun away. Princess Fragrance looked up in astonishment. Ladybug was on the other end, sprawled on the floor and gasping for breath, but still with enough perseverance to get off the shot.

Ladybug's respite was short. Seized by Animan, still in gorilla form, Ladybug was picked up as if she weighed nothing and pulled to the gorilla. But Ladybug flipped over his head in the middle of the arc, slid out of his grip and somersaulted over the gorilla's head. Behind him, her foot shot out and kicked the back of his head. The gorilla thrust forward involuntarily and landed ungracefully next to Cat Noir.

Spurring herself to her feet, Ladybug saw Princess Fragrance scramble for her perfume gun. For a moment she thought about using her yo-yo, but her opponent reached her weapon and the moment was lost. Turning, Ladybug sped down the hall until she was out of sight.

"Don't make me ferret you out, Ladybug!" Princess Fragrance yelled. She looked around for more people to enslave. But once Ladybug had freed them of the perfume's influence, the students and faculty she had been using had fled. The only people left in the school were her, Ladybug, Animan and Cat Noir. Cat Noir was useless at the moment, but Animan was at least struggling to his feet. "Do I have to do everything myself?"

Pointing her gun behind her, Princess Fragrance propelled herself up to the second floor landing. She landed within a few feet of Animan, still in gorilla form.

"Turn yourself into something useful and find her!" Princess Fragrance snapped.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Animan snapped back. Princess Fragrance quickly realized that the shot of ammonium Animan had inhaled had counteracted the influence of her perfume. She raised the gun up to shoot him again, but a backhand swipe from the gorilla knocked it from her hand. "I'll get Ladybug," he snarled. "But for MY reasons, not YOURS!"

Transforming into a bloodhound, Animan began trailing Ladybug's scent. He quickly stopped and transformed back into a human.

"This ammonium!" he howled. "It's burned my nostrils! I can't smell anything but that!" Angrily he transformed into a tiger and bounded down the hall in the direction Ladybug went. "I will get you for that, Ladybug!" the tiger roared.

Princess Fragrance had retrieved her gun. She eased cautiously down the hall after Animan. Better he take the brunt of whatever counterattack Ladybug had set up for them. Then when the trap was sprung, she could move in.

Animan passed the door to the chemistry lab and stopped. Though he couldn't smell Ladybug, he decided to check the room just in case she'd gone back for more ammonium and ether. A quick glimpse of the room showed the chemical storage cabinet open, but no sign of Ladybug. The tiger continued down the hall, checking every classroom, until the corridor turned left. Again all he found was an empty hall and empty classrooms. Animan could hear Princess Fragrance trailing him, but gave it no mind. Reaching the end of the hall, he turned left again and swept the hall and rooms. Finally he'd circled back to where he started, on the second floor landing. There was no sign of Ladybug anywhere.

And now Cat Noir was gone.

"Where are you?" the tiger bellowed angrily.

Princess Fragrance witnessed it all from the end of the corridor. Shooting suddenly over the railing at the edge of the landing was Ladybug's yo-yo. As if it had a life of its own, the yo-yo wrapped around Animan's torso. He turned to see Ladybug leaping at him. As she did, her hand threaded the yo-yo's string under the railing. Landing several feet away from him, the heroine gave the string a mighty tug. Animan was pulled off of his feet and over the railing. He only fell several feet before the anchored yo-yo string pulled tight.

As the surprised Animan dangled twelve feet above the first floor, Ladybug leaped over the railing and executed a perfect dive straight for him. Hooking one arm across his shoulders to stop her descent, Ladybug's free hand arced around and jammed an open bottle of ether into his face. Caught in mid-transformation by the effects of the ether, Animan was a strange tiger-squirrel amalgamation before he lost consciousness. Pulling up on the yo-yo, Ladybug started to swing back up to the second floor landing.

That's when she spotted Princess Fragrance try to spray her with the perfume gun. Ladybug twisted to alter her course and pushed off of the railing. She executed a perfect back flip and landed on the first floor, below the dangling unconscious Animan and out of reach of the perfume gun.

"You haven't escaped!" Princess Fragrance growled, leaning over the railing. "I can flood this entire school building with my perfume! You won't have anyplace to run! And you can't knock the gun from my hand because your yo-yo is up here!"

"Get her, Cat Noir!" Ladybug suddenly exclaimed.

Whirling, Princess Fragrance leveled her gun behind her to intercept the threat. But no one was there, either to her left or right, above or below. Turning back to Ladybug, Princess Fragrance saw she had already leaped up to the line holding the dangling Animan. Grasping the line, she flipped herself up over the railing. Princess Fragrance moved to fire, but Ladybug kicked the gun out of her hand. It landed with a rattle on the floor several feet from them. Before Princess Fragrance could move to retrieve it, Ladybug threw another container of ammonium. The container landed on the gun and broke, saturating the gun with the chemical. Princess Fragrance scooped up the gun and fired. But instead of a cloud of pink smoke, the gun fired a cloud of green smoke.

"Oh!" gasped Princess Fragrance, her hand going up to her nose. "THAT SMELLS AWFUL!"

Ladybug's reply was a roundhouse kick to the jaw. Princess Fragrance dropped like she'd been shot. Gingerly Ladybug stepped over the fallen girl and stomped on the perfume gun.

"Hmpf!" Ladybug exclaimed. "No akuma. It has to be Manon doing this! If only I knew where she was!"

On the roof of the school, Cat Noir was rousing from the effects of the ether. He pulled himself to a sitting position, turned, and found Ladybug crouched next to him.

"Don't worry," Cat Noir moaned. "Princess Fragrance no longer has a hold on me. Although all I can smell now is ammonia."

"Good," Ladybug smiled. "I was getting tired of hearing you sing that song."

"Did they get away?"

"No, I've got them both inside the school. There's no akuma in them, so I don't really know how to change them back," Ladybug said. "Short of finding Manon."

"You still think it's her?"

"I think she's involved," Ladybug said, standing up. She offered her hand to Cat Noir. "It wouldn't surprise me if she's being used by Hawk Moth again." Cat Noir took the hand and she pulled him to his feet.

"Maybe we can follow one of them," suggested Cat Noir. "Hopefully they'll lead us back to where The Puppeteer is." He glanced at her and shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

"I don't have anything better. Let's try it."

But when the pair entered the school again, they both realized that the plan wouldn't work. Princess Fragrance had reverted back to Rose. And dangling from the railing in the coils of Ladybug's yo-yo wasn't Animan. It was Ladybug herself. Frowning, Cat Noir used his baton to extend himself up to where the other Ladybug dangled. When he touched her, the image evaporated in a puff of smoke.

"Volpina," Ladybug scowled.

"I wonder why she only took Animan?" Cat Noir posed as he slid back to the first floor.

"I wonder about a lot of things," Ladybug answered.

Continued in Chapter 7


	7. Sowing The Seeds

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 7: "Sowing The Seeds"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

After suggesting they give their Kwamis a rest and check back in on their civilian identities, Ladybug ducked out behind the school and transformed back into Marinette.

"I hate waiting for Hawk Moth's next attack," Marinette thought pensively, leaning absently against a trash dumpster. "But there's no other way to trace back to where Manon is other that through one of her puppets. And losing Animan and Princess Fragrance stopped that idea for the moment."

Unnoticed by the girl, a hand reached out and grasped her shoulder.

"OH MY GOODNESS!" screeched Marinette, jumping from the hand's grasp and bumping against the dumpster. Her fear only calmed when she saw who it was. "ALYA!"

"Sorry," Alya chuckled.

"What are you doing here? They evacuated the school!"

"What do you think?" Alya asked cynically, waving her cell phone. "The minute poor Rose transformed, I found a good place to shoot. And I got some ABSOLUTELY SUPER video of Ladybug and Cat Noir!" Her expression grew serious. "So what are you doing here?"

"Hiding. What else?" Marinette replied. "And you should consider that, too. One of these days you're going to get hurt."

"Ladybug will never let that happen," Alya shrugged. "So how's your stomach?"

"My stomach?"

"The one you had to miss first period for so you could go to the nurse," Alya replied suspiciously.

"Oh!" Marinette gasped nervously. "Um, it's better?"

Alya cocked an eyebrow. "OK, what's going on? No, don't tell me. I think I know. Those akuma-monsters; that's the explanation."

"Alya, it's not . . .!" Marinette said quickly, the color draining from her face.

"You were going to try to follow them," Alya charged. "You're still trying to find Manon, aren't you?"

"Well," Marinette hesitated as inside she breathed a heavy sigh of relief, "I guess I can't fool you."

"Now who's living dangerously?" Alya demanded. "Marinette, you have to leave that to the police and Ladybug! Those akuma-monsters are dangerous! Believe me, I know! I get that you want to help Manon and it's so you. But you can't risk your life like this. Last night was brave. This is crazy."

"OK," Marinette huffed. "Make you a deal? I'll stop risking myself if you stop risking yourself."

"It's not the same thing, Marinette. I'm a pro," Alya replied. She heard Marinette stomp her foot. Glancing at her friend, she could see how furious the girl was. Exhaling a sigh, Alya said, "OK, I'll try. But you know how I am." Alya gestured for Marinette to accompany her. "I'm sure they won't try to reconvene school for the day. That means I'll actually get to spend some time with Mom before she has to head to the hotel. Want to come over?"

"I better get home," Marinette demurred. "Mom and Dad'll worry."

"OK. But STRAIGHT HOME!" Alya warned. "And don't forget to check the blog. I got some choice shots."

At the same time, on the other side of the school, Adrien was emerging from the school's rear delivery entrance. He scanned the roof of the building, hoping for a fleeting glimpse of Ladybug as she swung away.

"Cheese?" a weak voice came from his pocket.

"Not now," Adrien rolled his eyes.

"I'm dying," came the mournful reply.

"You can wait until we get home," Adrien said. Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw Nino waving to him. Altering his course, the boy walked up to his friend.

"Why are you still here?" Adrien asked.

"Watching out for Alya," Nino sighed. "You know how she is when she smells Ladybug video. And she's so focused on getting the shot that she doesn't always take care of herself." He grinned and glanced at the ground. "So I - - kind of hang around and watch out for her."

"I hope she knows how lucky she is to have you around," Adrien grinned. He could sympathize. He had the same feelings about Ladybug.

"I hope she knows, too," chuckled Nino. "So what happened to you? You weren't in first period class."

"I, um, had something to take care of," Adrien alibied.

"What, with a girl?" Nino joked. Then something in Adrien's expression clicked. "You were with a girl? Adrien, you are the man! Who was it?"

"It wasn't . . ." Adrien began.

"Wait a minute," Nino began, a smile growing on his face. "Marinette was out of class, too. YOU AND MARINETTE?"

"No, I," Adrien tried to say.

"Damn, it's about time you noticed!" Nino marveled.

"Noticed?"

"Marinette is hot for you, Adrien. Every time you get in her line of sight, she starts drooling down her front," Nino told him. "Besides, Alya told me. Not that it isn't obvious. And now you're both a thing."

"We are not a 'thing'," Adrien argued.

"Then where were you?" Nino asked him skeptically.

"I was," Adrien started to answer, "hiding - - from Animan. You know, I'm not going to face a leopard for anyone!"

"Yeah, I can just imagine you and Marinette, huddled in some dark supply closet, wondering if it's safe to come out," Nino smiled. "After a while not wanting to."

"You know, if I want to not be listened to, I can always go home," Adrien scowled. Just then they emerged from the side of the building and saw the Agreste limo waiting. Nathalie got out and gestured to Adrien.

"All right, all right. You were alone," Nino said, following as Adrien headed for the car. "So tell me, how good of a kisser is Marinette?"

"You're hopeless," Adrien frowned. He got into the car. Nino watched it speed away.

"Man, wait'll Alya hears this," grinned Nino.

* * *

"IT'S NOT FAIR, IT'S NOT FAIR!" The Puppeteer bellowed. She threw her doll of Princess Fragrance across the room. "LADYBUG ALWAYS WINS!"

"I share your frustration, Puppeteer," Hawk Moth said in a conciliatory manner. "But we are on the right track. Ladybug and Cat Noir can't hope to keep winning against such odds. If we're persistent, they'll eventually lose."

As the child stewed in frustration, Hawk Moth quieted his doubts about the plan. Throwing one adversary after another at her and Cat Noir until they fell was a good plan. And keeping The Puppeteer focused was the key. It had been easy to strike at Manon again, for what child her age didn't succumb to petty fits of anger and jealousy. All he had to do was wait for her to have such a temper tantrum and he could reconvert her again. The hard part was keeping her from realizing the phenomenal power she possessed and turning it on him.

But then, for the prize he was aiming at, a little risk was necessary.

A sound filtered through the door, as if music was playing. Out of the corner of his eye, Hawk Moth saw Volpina and Animan at the entrance to the secluded room. This was why he had set up a special underground stronghold away from his normal attic moth hatchery. There were too many risk factors in this plot, one of them being Volpina. He'd set the stronghold up to keep Puppeteer away from Ladybug and Cat Noir. But he'd also set it up to keep the akuma-tons away from his real base of operations.

Particularly Volpina.

"I pulled Animan out as you instructed," Volpina told them. "Princess Fragrance was reverting because her perfume gun had been destroyed, so I left her."

"She's no good anyway!" snarled The Puppeteer. Reaching over to her table of dolls, Volpina anxiously watching her the entire time, the young girl selected the Magician of Misfortune doll. "I think I'll play with this one next."

"An excellent choice, Puppeteer," Hawk Moth smiled. He turned to Volpina. "Take him to the others. Wait for instructions."

"Yes, sir," Volpina replied with little enthusiasm. She led Animan to the door, but after one step he faltered. On one knee, clutching his head, Animan wavered while Volpina tried to support him.

"I think he's hurt!" Volpina exclaimed.

Hawk Moth turned and examined them both. Animan indeed seemed weak and dizzy. Still, he kept his distance from them.

"The fight must have taken more out of him than we thought," Volpina said. "Can you get up?"

Showing no concern for Animan, Hawk Moth returned his gaze to The Puppeteer. The child was surveying her dolls for a good partner for the Magician of Misfortune.

"Take him to the waiting area," Hawk Moth said with a dismissive wave. "He can rest there. He may be needed later."

"As you wish," Volpina replied.

* * *

As soon as Marinette was through the door to the pastry shop, she was engulfed by her massive mountain of a father. The man squeezed her to him as several patrons looked on with amusement. The show of overt affection embarrassed Marinette some, though part of her was grateful for it. Her father's problem was that he never knew when to quit. And she did have to breathe eventually.

"All right, you'll suffocate the poor girl," Sabine whispered as she passed them. The woman smiled and bowed to a customer as she presented him with a cake box. Chagrined, Tom released his hold on Marinette. Remembering his duties, he scooped up a sack of baguettes and handed them to a waiting customer.

"When we heard about what happened at school, we were so worried," Tom told her after all the customers had been helped. "What is this world coming to?"

"I'm all right," Marinette assured them. "But I guess it does show that something like this can happen no matter where you are," and she glanced cautiously at them, "so there's no point in hiding at home."

"So we should lift your after school restrictions and let you go looking for trouble?" Sabine asked, the cutting edge of the question masked by her ever-so-polite and mannered tone.

"I'm just saying," Marinette grimaced, "there's no point in altering your life if trouble is going to find you no matter what you do. I wouldn't go 'looking' for trouble."

"She is right about one thing," Tom sighed in defeat. "This Hawk Moth person seems to be able to strike anywhere in the city. Maybe there are no more safe places in Paris."

Sabine stopped. She seemed to be gathering herself.

"Then perhaps," she began cautiously, "it's time to leave Paris."

"Leave Paris?" Tom asked, mildly shocked. "And go where?"

"We could move to China," Sabine suggested. "Be with Uncle Wang. He would love to have us. He respects you greatly, Tom, and you know he adores Marinette. And there's no threat of this Hawk Moth in China."

"You're not serious?" gasped Marinette dramatically.

"I know it would be an adjustment," Sabine began.

"We can't move to China! Adri . . . all of my friends are here!" Marinette exclaimed. "My whole life is here! I can't just up and move to China!"

"Marinette, it's dangerous here," Sabine argued patiently.

"And it's not dangerous in China? Sure, Hawk Moth isn't there! But they don't have criminals there? They don't have people violently protesting the government? Oh, and let's not mention the poor air quality and the elevated cancer rate!"

"Marinette," Tom cut her off patiently. "It was just a suggestion. Nothing's been decided."

"I'm sorry for getting upset," Marinette offered penitently. "It's just - - I don't want to go anywhere else. I like Paris. And wouldn't going to China just be running from a problem? You always taught me not to run from problems."

"Avoiding a dangerous situation isn't running from a problem," Sabine told her. "But like your father said, nothing's been decided. And we'll certainly take your opinion into consideration." She smiled. "Given the way the walls are still ringing, I doubt we could help it."

"Yes, Mom," Marinette sighed. Tom and Sabine grinned at each other. Just then another customer entered and Marinette took that opportunity to adjourn to her room. As she lay across her bed, across from the picture of Adrien she'd cut out of a fashion magazine, Tikki flew up from out of her purse.

"China is not a terrible place to live, as I recall," Tikki told her. Then she smiled. "Of course, the commute to Paris to fight Hawk Moth would be a little troublesome."

"Obviously you're all right," Marinette replied. "Have you come up with anything we can use to trace Manon and put a stop to all of this?"

"I've been reading the book while you sleep," Tikki reported. "So far I haven't found anything that could help us."

"Then I guess our only option is to tail one of Hawk Moth's akuma-tons back to Hawk Moth's hiding place," Marinette judged. "If you're up to it, I'd like to patrol the area for a few hours. I doubt if Hawk Moth and Manon will want to wait long after this morning before trying again."

"Just a moment," Tikki said. She flew into Marinette's purse, then popped out with a gummy bear in her hands. The bear went into her mouth, followed by an ear to ear grin. "I'm all set!"

Grabbing her backpack, Marinette flew down the stairs.

"The library?" Tom repeated after Marinette's question.

"I've got this report due next week," Marinette explained, "and I figured since they called school and I've got the afternoon off anyway, I may as well get to work on it - - especially since I don't have any devices to actually have fun with in my room."

"Save the guilt," Tom smirked. "I think it's a good idea. The library is a pretty safe place as places go. But be careful. The first sign of trouble . . ."

"Dad, given how many times the school has been attacked, I think I know what to do in a crisis," Marinette sighed. "I'll be back by five and I've got my cell if there's an emergency." She pecked him on the cheek, then waved to Sabine as she scooted out the door.

"Remember when she was a baby in my arms?" Tom asked Sabine with a hint of melancholy.

"Yes," Sabine replied. "When the nostalgia threatens to overwhelm me, I just remember changing her diaper. That makes me grateful she's a teen very fast."

* * *

"Glad you called. I was just about to head over to the bakery. So why don't you just video-chat with me?" Alya asked over the phone. Marinette was sitting on a bench in front of the library, talking to her friend.

"Vid-chat's disabled," Marinette sighed. "No devices. That's part of my punishment for going out without permission to look for Manon. You haven't heard anything, have you?"

"Wow. Primitive. No, I haven't heard anything. And I have to admit, I'm getting worried about the little sprout, too. There's only one thing worse than being akumatized. That's being akumatized twice."

Marinette bit her lip and concentrated on not crying.

"But I've got my ear to the ground," Alya brightened. "If there's any report of Ladybug activity, I'll hear it. I know she's trying her best. We just have to be patient with her."

"I'm not sure I can wait that long," muttered Marinette.

"What's that mean?"

Marinette sighed. "Mom and Dad are really spooked by all of this," she reported. "Mom's even talking about - - moving to China."

"China?" gasped Alya over the phone. "Wow, China."

"I don't want to go to China!" Marinette raged impotently.

"Well I don't want you to go to China," Alya told her. "You're my bestie. That's important to a growing girl."

"You're my bestie, too," Marinette whispered. Her teeth ground. "Alya, I don't know what I'm going to do!"

"Not much you can do," Alya replied in a quiet voice. "If your parents go to China, you have to go. When Mom got that job in Paris, I had to leave Martinique. It kind of turned out OK, but I had to leave a lot behind."

"Well," Marinette began, "maybe Ladybug will find Hawk Moth and Manon and put a stop to all of this. And then I won't have to go!"

There was no response.

"Alya?" Marinette asked anxiously.

"Word is coming in over the police bands," Alya told her. "It's Magician of Misfortune! He's at L'Hotel de Ville! Maybe he's going to try to make Chloe disappear! Got to run, Marinette!"

Marinette disconnected her phone. Looking around, she searched the library grounds until she found a secluded spot, then opened her purse.

"Aren't you afraid about lying to your parents again, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"I didn't lie," Marinette replied, "technically. I said I was going to the library. I didn't say how long I was going to stay." Tikki gave her a playfully admonishing look. "What, are you going to punish me too?"

Minutes later, Ladybug was swinging through the streets of Paris, headed for L'Hotel de Ville, the building that housed the Paris city government. Rather than Chloe, Ladybug imagined that Mayor Bourgeois was the more logical target for Magician of Misfortune. As she arced around a corner, Ladybug could see L'Hotel de Ville.

There on the sidewalk in front of the main entrance arch was Magician of Misfortune. Like before, he wore the top hat with the crescent moon and two stars, and the small black mask over his face. A cordon of police surrounded him. Several gendarmes approached him with riot clubs and shields.

It was no use. Magician of Misfortune pointed at the gendarmes and their clubs and shields disappeared in puffs of smoke. So did their uniforms. As the naked gendarmes cringed in embarrassment, Ladybug heard Magician of Misfortune emit a childishly cruel laugh. It wasn't the sort of thing he had done before.

But it was the type of laugh she recalled hearing from The Puppeteer.

Somersaulting in mid-air, Ladybug shot out her yo-yo and hooked a cornice. Her intent was to swing down and bowl Magician of Misfortune over, or at least knock his top hat from him. But as she swung, her target suddenly turned towards her as if something had warned him.

"Ladybug!" Magician of Misfortune exclaimed, again sounding eerily like a four year old girl. "Now I'll make YOU disappear!"

And he pointed directly at her.

Continued in Chapter 8


	8. For My Next Trick

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 8: "For My Next Trick"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

"Your father is still away on business," Nathalie reported as she ushered Adrien inside the mansion. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Big surprise," Adrien exhaled. "Suppose the Gorilla could drive me to the movies?"

"Master Adrien, we've asked you not to call him that," Nathalie sighed patiently. "And you really should get your homework finished. Remember, you have a shoot at five, so you won't have time later this afternoon."

"Well, class got evacuated before they assigned any homework," Adrien replied triumphantly, "so that won't be an impediment."

"And your project?"

"Done."

The wail of police sirens passed the mansion.

"All right, I get the message," Adrien turned and climbed the stairs. "I'll stay upstairs like a good boy. See you at five."

Nathalie's eyes followed him up as the teen climbed the stairs. Adrien was truly a fine boy and she hated stifling his desires like this. How she wished she could give in to him more. However she valued her position way too much.

Once in his room, Adrien raced to the windows. Looking out onto the city, the teen could see the police cars racing through the streets.

"Looks like something's up at the city government building, Plagg," Adrien said as he opened his shirt and his black Kwami floated out.

"I suppose you're going to stick your nose into it?" Plagg scowled.

"That's kind of why I have these powers, isn't it?" Adrien said.

"Plus Ladybug might be there," taunted the Kwami.

"And there's that," Adrien leered. "Plagg! Claws out!"

Moments later, Cat Noir was leaping from roof to roof, headed toward L'Hotel de Ville. Extending his baton, Cat Noir would vault across intersections and then gracefully land on the next roof. On one such roof, he scattered a flock of pigeons roosting. The youth thought nothing of it, until he sensed something closing in on him from behind. Glancing behind him, Cat Noir saw the flock of pigeons he'd scattered. And they looked angry.

Flying up on his left was Mr. Pigeon, carried by another flock of the birds.

"Oh, not this loser again," Cat Noir sighed.

As the flock of pigeons dived for him, Cat Noir leaped up into the air. He somersaulted at the apex of his leap, then threw his baton at Mr. Pigeon. The metal rod struck him squarely in the center of his forehead. Mr. Pigeon stiffened and fell backwards like a felled tree, landing with a heavy thud on a rooftop below. Bereft of control, the pigeons instantly scattered. A few landed on the roof by the unconscious Mr. Pigeon and looked him over curiously.

"If The Puppeteer is pulling that out of her bag, she's running low on tricks," Cat Noir muttered as he leaped off toward the city government building.

* * *

Feeling like she nearly pulled something in her back and hip, Ladybug twisted in mid-air and avoided the spell of The Magician of Misfortune. The spell kept traveling until it hit something, which happened to be the cornice her yo-yo line was attached to. Her anchor gone, Ladybug hit the pavement. She rolled and bounced to her feet, only slightly worse for wear.

"You don't get away that easy!" The Magician snarled, again sounding like a four year old child. Manon was clearly controlling him directly.

The Magician pointed at her again, but Ladybug swung her yo-yo and threw up a trash receptacle between them that took the brunt of his spell. Again he tried to make her disappear, but her yo-yo swung again and threw a newspaper honor box in the way. Three and four and five times The Magician would try to point at her and each time Ladybug would knock or kick an inanimate object between them to take the spell and disappear in a puff of smoke. And each time she would work her way a little closer.

"STAND STILL!" bellowed The Magician. "YOU DON'T PLAY FAIR!"

"Manon, stop this!" Ladybug appealed to her as she tossed up a planter to be sent away. "Your mother misses you! We all miss you! Don't listen to what Hawk Moth tells you! Come back to us!"

"NO! MOMMY WON'T LET ME HAVE DOLLS! MOMMY WON'T LET ME HAVE ANYTHING!" The Magician roared petulantly. He brought his finger up again, but this time the yo-yo swung down and struck him on the wrist of his right hand. "OW!" howled The Magician, falling to his knees in pain. Ladybug landed before him, ready for his surrender, but just as ready for an attack.

Pain kept him from raising his arm, but it didn't keep him from pointing at the pavement beneath Ladybug's feet. The pavement disappeared in a puff of smoke and Ladybug fell through the open hole. Only a last ditch grab of the part of the street that remained kept her from falling into the sewers below.

"YOU HURT ME!" wailed The Magician. "YOU DON'T PLAY FAIR! I'M SUPPOSED TO WIN! BUT YOU NEVER PLAY FAIR!"

"Manon . . ." Ladybug began, trying to pull herself up from the hole.

"I'M NOT MANON! I'M THE PUPPETEER!" The Magician screamed angrily. "AND I'M SUPPOSED TO WIN!"

He pointed his injured, shaking hand at Ladybug, seeking to make her disappear in a puff of smoke. Ladybug couldn't summon enough leverage to pull herself out before The Magician fired. If she dropped down, there was no telling where she'd land, how fast she could get out and what sort of damage The Magician could do in her absence. But she had to do something quickly.

"Move, Ladybug!" a police officer shouted. He'd come up from behind The Magician, grabbed the villain's arm and forced it up. Hoisting herself up, Ladybug scrambled out of the hole.

Springing at The Magician, Ladybug planted a kick directly in his face. The force sent both him and the officer who had saved her sprawling. The Magician scrambled to his feet, only to be felled again by a spinning kick from Ladybug. Once he was down, the Paris police pounced, wrestling his arms behind him and into handcuffs. Wiping her brow, Ladybug gave a sigh of relief. She went over and helped up the gendarme who had grabbed him and saved her.

It was Sabrina's father, Roger Raincomprix.

"Thank you for the help," she told him as she helped the man up.

"After what you did for me?" he smiled. "And my daughter?" Ladybug returned the smile.

"Yes, yes, everything is under control now," Mayor Bourgeois announced, emerging from L'Hotel de Ville. "Take him away," and he imperiously waved off the gendarmes hoisting The Magician to his feet.

"Wait!" Ladybug said, holding up her hand. She walked right up to The Magician. "Manon, please. We want to help you. Tell us where you are."

"You don't want to help me," The Magician said bitterly. "And I don't need your help. I can still beat you." Reluctantly, Ladybug reached up to remove The Magician's hat and remove the akumatizing influence of The Puppeteer.

Her first warning was the puff of smoke rising up from behind him. The Magician lashed out with his right leg, a kick Ladybug narrowly avoided. The police put more effort into holding him, but suddenly there was no sidewalk beneath their feet. Two officers plunged into the sewers below and a third managed to grab on to the remaining sidewalk. The Magician brought his hands around, his handcuffs disintegrated.

His first attempt to point at her was knocked away when she spun and kicked him in the back of the head. His shot went wild and a Peugeot evaporated in a puff of smoke. Her other leg swung around, trying to knock the hat from his head, but he managed to block it. Twisting like few humans could, Ladybug managed to avoid a second blast that took out a four foot round section of the second floor of L'Hotel de Ville. Using her elbow, Ladybug knocked away a third attempt that went wild. A section of the entrance disappeared and Mayor Bourgeois fell into the basement.

One of the gendarmes fired a stun gun. The prongs embedded themselves in The Magician's chest and he began to shake from the electrical discharge, his power firing wildly and making a car and several sections of the street disappear.

Ducking down, Ladybug crouched and then shot between The Magician's legs. Once behind him, she shot up and spun around, swinging her left arm and catching the brim of his top hat. Her momentum ripped the hat from his head. The Magician of Misfortune instantly reverted to Jean Duparc and sank to his knees.

"Jean!" Ladybug said, crouching next to the youth and supporting him with her hands and body. "Do you remember where The Puppeteer is?"

"Remember?" Jean mumbled in confusion.

"Please, Jean! Try to remember something!"

"I don't remember anything," Jean whispered distantly. He looked around at all of the damage in the street. "I'm sorry. It happened again, didn't it?"

Two Paris police gendarmes hauled Jean to his feet.

"I don't remember anything," Jean told Ladybug plaintively. Her shoulders slumped.

"We'll put him in," Lt. Raincomprix offered as Jean was led away, "protective custody - - until this is all settled. We know it's not his fault. The Mayor and the Prosecutor are thankfully pretty understanding about things like this."

"If only I could have gotten him to lead me back to Manon," Ladybug grimaced. "This can't keep going on!"

"I hope you can stop this," Lt. Raincomprix said and Ladybug noticed the haunted look in his eyes. "For everyone's sake."

* * *

"Your plan almost worked, Puppeteer," Hawk Moth smiled as he stood over and behind the akumatized child. "Don't lose heart. You still have so many dolls left to choose from." He smiled slyly. "Or I could always get you a doll of Ladybug and Cat Noir, like I first proposed."

"No," The Puppeteer responded resolutely. "I can beat her. I HAVE to beat her. Don't you understand?"

"Of course," Hawk Moth smiled with a predator's grin. "But might I suggest you choose now, before Ladybug and Cat Noir have a chance to rest and regroup?"

"I know," The Puppeteer replied petulantly. Hawk Moth noticed she had two dolls in her hands.

"Antibug? Didn't you already use her?"

"She deserves another chance," the child replied.

* * *

Cat Noir was nearing the L'Hotel de Ville, though not fast enough for his tastes. Racing across a roof top, he launched himself into the air as he extended his baton to the street, using it as a vaulting pole. All at once, though, a yo-yo wrapped around the pole and suddenly jerked it out from under him. Lurching forward, Cat Noir plummeted to the street.

Twisting wildly, Cat Noir managed to snag an overhanging street light. He spun once on it to gain control of his momentum, then landed with feline grace on the sidewalk. There was little time to rest, though, as he was forced to narrowly avoid a yo-yo shot that slammed into the sidewalk and kicked up cement dust.

"What's the matter, M'Lady?" Cat Noir asked, turning toward the direction of the yo-yo as he scooped up his fallen baton. "Didn't like that bouquet I got you?"

Then he spotted his foe.

"Oh. Puppeteer got you again, Antibug," Cat Noir said, somersaulting over another thrust of the villain's yo-yo. "We'll have to do something about that."

With inhuman speed, Antibug dived into Cat Noir from above, her foot narrowly missing his jaw. The teen spun to the ground from the effort. Antibug was on him in a heartbeat, lunging for him as she grabbed for his Miraculous ring. Acting quickly, Cat Noir bent up and tried to lock his feet around her neck. But Antibug executed an impossible mid-air somersault over his move and onto the sidewalk behind him. Quickly she rolled to her feet and was spinning her yo-yo in an uncanny impression of Ladybug as he scrambled to his feet.

"I'm more than just a mind-controlled little puppet this time," Antibug smiled devilishly. "Which means I'm more than a match for you now."

"We'll see about that," Cat Noir smiled, rising to the bait.

In rapid fire succession, Antibug whipped her yo-yo at him. Each time Cat Noir deflected it with his baton. Ending the flurry, the pair backed up a step and reassessed each other.

"You don't have a chance," Antibug said, her eyes twinkling from the challenge. "You don't have Ladybug to pull you out of this."

Antibug whipped her yo-yo at him again. Another flurry of strikes came, Cat Noir fending them off each time. Stepping forward increased the momentum and severity of her attack. Cat Noir was forced to give ground until finally he back-flipped up onto a street light and looked down on her.

The yo-yo winding around the street light caused Cat Noir to flinch back. Antibug swung up, seeking to knock him off of his perch. Cat Noir flung himself backward, catching himself on the side of a building with his baton. There was little time to collect himself as the yo-yo impacted with the brick side of the building, sending brick pieces flying and Cat Noir leaping back to the street. Acrobatically Antibug landed eight feet in front of him, her yo-yo in a deadly spin at her side.

Realizing that he'd been fighting a defensive battle, Cat Noir sprang at Antibug. He had the girl in his sights - - and suddenly she wasn't there. Looking back as he tumbled out of the leap, Cat Noir saw Antibug had athletically slid underneath his leap and was already up and launching her yo-yo. Landing and rolling to his feet, Cat Noir was forced to kick the attacking yo-yo away.

"You're breathing hard, Cat Noir," Antibug said, smiling Chloe's evil cheshire smile. "Oh, if only Ladybug was here."

"I wish she was here, too," Cat Noir replied confidently, elongating his baton into a staff. "But not for the reason you think."

Attacking with the staff in an eye-blink, Cat Noir swung to try to knock Antibug off of her feet. Each swing was blocked by her yo-yo and each thrust gracefully avoided. She was too busy to attack, but he wasn't able to touch her with the staff.

"This is taking too long," Cat Noir thought. "I've got to end this before she pulls her ace."

* * *

Swinging away from L'Hotel de Ville, Ladybug pondered the two things that were weighing most on her mind: Where was Manon, and how could she dissuade her parents from moving to China? The two problems tugged at each other, giving her mind no peace and no ability to concentrate.

"I wish Cat Noir was around to talk to," she thought as she hooked her yo-yo on a far cornice. "He may be a little full of himself, but I seem to think better when he's around." She thought more. "No. I'm more comfortable when he's around. Like we're Yin and Yang. It's the opposite of how I always feel around Adrien. I wonder what that means."

A figure waving to her from a rooftop caught Ladybug's attention.

"Well if I'd known I could make him appear just by wishing, I'd have wished him up to help with the fight against The Magician of Misfortune," Ladybug smiled to herself.

Swinging over to the roof top, she landed several feet from him. Cat Noir seemed genuinely pleased by her arrival and she steadied herself for the leering line he inevitably greeted her with. When it didn't come, she was momentarily thrown off-balance.

"I just took out The Magician of Misfortune," Ladybug reported. "Have you encountered anyone of our old foes?"

"Not recently," Cat Noir replied. "But I have been digging around and I think I'm on a trail that might lead us to The Puppeteer."

"You are!" Ladybug exclaimed. "That's wonderful!"

"See that building in the distance?" Cat Noir said, pointing to the west. Ladybug squinted as she looked. "I think she might be holed up there."

"Which building?" Ladybug asked, concentrating on the west side of the city.

"That gray stucco to the left of that grove of trees," Cat Noir answered from behind her. "Don't you see it?"

"No," Ladybug said. "Maybe you have better eyesight than I do. Lead me to it."

"It's there," Cat Noir insisted. "Maybe you can see it if you stand up on that ledge."

Following his advice, Ladybug stepped up on the brick ledge surrounding the roof. But she curiously misjudged the position of the ledge. Her foot slipped forward. She lost her balance and pitched off the roof into space.

Acting from instinct, Ladybug shot her yo-yo out and snagged the chimney of the building opposite that one. Her line drew taut and she swung toward the building long before she hit the pavement below. Looking back to see where Cat Noir was, Ladybug got the surprise of her life. Cat Noir was plummeting toward her, his baton elongated into a staff and held behind his head like an ax handle. The hero in black swung the staff at her and only a spinning twist in mid-air allowed her to avoid it. Her yo-yo shot out again and caught a terrace. She swung and then somersaulted to the ground. Turning, she found Cat Noir landing about eight feet from her.

"Is he under The Puppeteer's control?" Ladybug wondered silently. She stared into the cat's eyes of Cat Noir's mask. Then she leaped backward, avoiding an upward slash with the staff.

"You can't avoid me forever, Ladybug!" Cat Noir chuckled.

"No, he's not controlled. That doesn't sound like Manon," Ladybug thought as she dodged another swing. Her yo-yo shot out offensively, but Cat Noir leaped over the strike. "It can't be Princess Fragrance or Simon Says! He's too focused!"

Backing to keep distance between them, Ladybug didn't realize where the curb was. She stumbled and fell backwards, sprawling on the sidewalk. Cat Noir took advantage, leaping at her with staff in one hand and claws extended on the other. And in that moment, Ladybug realized who she was fighting.

"Copycat!" she gasped.

Continued in Chapter 9


	9. Not What They Seem

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 9: "Not What They Seem"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

Hawk Moth stood in the doorway, looking at The Puppeteer manipulate two dolls. At first he thought one of them was a Cat Noir doll. But when he heard Puppeteer speak Copycat's name, he realized his mistake. Glancing up at the television monitor in the room, he saw on one screen Copycat attacking Ladybug. On another screen, the real Cat Noir was trying to avoid an assault by Antibug. It had been ingenious of him to tap into the city surveillance cameras in order to monitor how things were going, since the one he had possessed was there with him and he could otherwise only see the action unfold through her eyes.

But the frustration was building in him. Repossessing The Puppeteer and using her powers to throw a gauntlet of old adversaries at Ladybug and Cat Noir seemed like a good idea at the time. But it was taking too long. The longer Ladybug and Cat Noir survived, the more likely they would triumph. He'd lost to them too many times to think otherwise. And the feeling was stirring within him that he was about to lose again.

Hawk Moth reached into the pockets of his jacket and brought out two dolls: one of Cat Noir and one of Ladybug. This was going to end now. Willingly or not, Puppeteer was going to bring the two heroes straight to him. And he was going to pluck the Miraculouses from them right in front of their helpless eyes. And then there would be a reckoning.

Particularly for Cat Noir.

"Look what I brought for you, my dear," Hawk Moth said sweetly as he approached The Puppeteer.

"Not now! I'm busy!" Puppeteer snapped petulantly.

"Now, there's no need to take that tone," Hawk Moth tried to soothe her. He reached out to touch her shoulder. "I only want to help you defeat Ladybug."

Then his hand went right through her. Hawk Moth drew it back swiftly. The Puppeteer disappeared in a puff of smoke. He looked around at the monitors. The screens were blank. The monitors were turned off.

"Volpina!" the masked villain fumed, angrily casting the Ladybug and Cat Noir dolls away. "I knew I couldn't trust the little vixen! Well, you haven't gotten away from me yet!"

Bowing his head, Hawk Moth mentally reached out to Puppeteer. Since she was possessed by one of his akumas, he could contact her mentally at any time.

"Puppeteer," he thought. "Where are you?"

"Not now!" she fumed back. "I'm beating Ladybug!"

"I merely wish to be there when you do," Hawk Moth replied, "to savor your triumph. Can you tell me where you are?"

"I'm in the room you got for me!" Puppeteer thought back. "The one with the sofa and all of the TVs on the wall!"

"You didn't go with Volpina?" Hawk Moth asked.

"Of course not!" she snapped back. "You're stupid! Stop pestering me or you'll make me lose!"

The connection broke. Hawk Moth clenched his fist in frustration. Then he calmed.

"Fine, Volpina," Hawk Moth smiled. "I'll allow you to claim this round. Defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir - - if you can. But despite your ability to act on your own, Puppeteer still controls you," and his smile took on a menacing appearance, "and I still control Puppeteer."

* * *

Cat Noir and Antibug faced off in the middle of an intersection. By now used to such disturbances, traffic stopped and crowds gathered - - at a healthy distance. Antibug spun her yo-yo while she stared down her opponent, looking both for a place to strike and for any possible attack from him. Cat Noir stood opposite her, his baton in his left hand and his right dangling by his side. Each one seemed to be daring the other to attack.

"Come on, Chloe, do something," Cat Noir thought as he waiting in anticipation. "If she uses her Anti-Charm, I'll attack. But if she attacks with her yo-yo . . ."

At once the yo-yo shot towards his head. Cat Noir ducked out of its path while maintaining his position. Again the yo-yo shot out and again he avoided it. Two and then three times Cat Noir avoided the projectile, all the while gauging its speed. When she fired it at him a fourth time, though, his right hand swept up and caught the yo-yo in mid-air.

"Cataclysm!" Cat Noir shouted as his hand closed around the yo-yo.

It was a gamble. Without her weapon, he'd be both cutting her offensive abilities and eliminating her Anti-Charm attack, since it couldn't be performed without the yo-yo. But it would also put him on the clock to defeat her before he reverted back to Adrien. It was a risk, but one he was confident in taking.

However, the unexpected happened. The moment his hand closed around the yo-yo, it disappeared not in a flair of black energy but in a puff of white smoke. Looking up, Cat Noir saw Antibug disappear in a similar manner. The sound of mocking laughter suddenly filled the streets. Whirling around, Cat Noir found Volpina standing in an alley between a millenary and a cheese shop. The exotic girl dressed in orange leaned confidently against the corner of the building.

"Tick tock, Cat Noir," Volpina grinned. "The seconds are counting down."

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a pressing engagement somewhere else," Cat Noir replied, leaning toward bolting.

"No, no, you don't get away THAT easily," Volpina exclaimed.

The growl of a jungle cat and the gasps of the crowd of on-lookers alerted him. Glancing behind him, Cat Noir spotted a black panther creeping up on him from down the street. It had to be Animan. Then he noticed the change in the temperature of the wind. Over his other shoulder, Cat Noir spotted Stormy Weather hovering in the air about thirty yards down the cross street. He was bracketed, boxed in, and he couldn't be absolutely certain whether Animan and Stormy Weather were real or just more of Volpina's illusions.

"Oh well," he murmured to himself, smiling at the challenge, "when in doubt . . ."

Unexpectedly, Cat Noir charged Volpina. The vixenish villain took a startled step back. The other two villains were caught off-guard as well. Stormy Weather recovered quickly and swung her parasol at him. A gust of wind and rain came out of nowhere, landing on the pavement between Cat Noir and Volpina. It instantly froze into a sheet of ice.

Bending at the knees, Cat Noir jumped onto the glare ice and slid across it, cutting the distance between himself and Volpina in half. She tried to back up, but Cat Noir swung his baton and knocked her flute up into the air. He sought to do more damage, but Animan suddenly swooped in using the form of a Red-Tailed Hawk. The hawk slashed at him with talons and wings, forcing Cat Noir back. Volpina, meanwhile, took a running jump, pushed off of the side of the building, caught her flute in mid-air, then somersaulted to the sidewalk.

"Get him, Stormy!" Volpina snarled, pointing at the hero.

Spinning her parasol above her head, Stormy Weather produced a small whirlwind in the street below. The whirlwind began advancing on Cat Noir, who was still being harassed by Animan's hawk form. Sensing the approaching system, Animan suddenly veered off. Cat Noir looked around, searching for another attack from either Animan or his other opponents. His eyes bulged when he spotted the advancing whirlwind. It was almost on top of him. He crouched to leap away, but something told him he didn't have enough time.

* * *

"Monsieur Barbot!" Ladybug called out. Copycat stopped, his baton elongated into a staff and drawn back, and listened to her. "You don't have to do this! Try to shake off her control!"

"Nobody controls me," Copycat smiled confidently. "Do you think I'm another one of The Puppeteer's play soldiers?"

"You're not?" Ladybug asked. She looked deep into his eyes and saw that there was thought and recognition behind them. "You're not controlled. Then why are you doing this? Don't believe whatever lie Hawk Moth has told you!"

His response was to slash down with his staff. Ladybug leaped over it. As the metal staff clanked against the pavement, Ladybug shot out her yo-yo and hooked onto a chimney above them. Reeling her line in, she hoisted herself up into the air and gained the roof in seconds.

But Copycat wasn't far behind. Leaping onto the wall of a building, he pushed off and gained a higher spot on the wall of the opposite building. Like climbing a ladder, five leaps took him to the top. Ladybug whirled and found him just eight feet behind her.

"I'm not under Hawk Moth's control either," Copycat said, breaking his staff into two smaller staffs. "I'm doing this for me."

"Why? I thought you liked me! I thought the whole reason you became Copycat was to replace Cat Noir and be with me!"

"And how did that work out?" he said, anger beginning to show through. "You teamed up with him to beat me!"

He leaped at her, swinging the batons in close quarters. Ladybug blocked and dodged a rapid fire clip of swings before leaping up over one slash and landing atop the chimney.

"Maybe without your pet cat around, I'll beat you!" Copycat grinned confidently. "And then I'll take you home! And you can be mine forever!"

Copycat leaped up at her. Ladybug dodged to the right, rolled and came up firing at him. Her yo-yo shot out, but Copycat knocked it away. Pivoting on the chimney, he threw one of the batons at her. Ladybug jumped up and kicked it away, but that effort allowed him to leap from the chimney at her. Lunging forward, Ladybug narrowly avoided him. She rolled up to her feet, pivoted, and found him upon her again. Copycat was as quick and as strong as Cat Noir was, and Ladybug was having a harder time fending him off. Thankfully he hadn't managed to lay a hand on her.

Defensively she shot her yo-yo out. With a twist of his baton, Copycat snared the line around it and yanked. The line was ripped from her grasp. Ladybug pressed up against the chimney and swallowed. Confidently Copycat began to stalk her.

"You're going to enjoy being mine," he said as he approached. "You'll be my personal model - - among other things. And if you don't enjoy it - - oh well."

Ladybug knew she didn't dare let him get his hands on her. For all of her prowess, she could be overpowered. But there was no place to run. The chimney pressed up against her back and going either forward, left or right would put her in reach of him.

"So the only place to go is up!" she thought suddenly.

Leaping up, Ladybug grasped the rim of the chimney with her hands. Pulling, she swung her legs out and up, intending both to kick Copycat away and then to swing up to a perch on the chimney. But when her foot came into contact with Copycat, the villain abruptly disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. When she finished perching on the chimney, she was alone on the roof.

"Volpina," Ladybug frowned. "I've been fighting one of her illusions the entire time. But why? Is she just trying to tire me out? Or is she trying to keep me away from something, occupy my attention?"

Jumping down to the roof, Ladybug ran over and retrieved her yo-yo. She surveyed the immediate area and spotted the crowd gathered several blocks away.

"Maybe that's it," Ladybug thought, casting her yo-yo line out. "It's worth investigating."

Covering the distance in moments, Ladybug came to within a block of what was happening. What she saw shocked her. Cat Noir was bracketed between Stormy Weather and Animan as a ten foot whirlwind bore down on him.

Instantly she went into action. Swinging down without any regard to herself, Ladybug reached out and plucked Cat Noir off the street. The pair swung up and away as the whirlwind passed over the spot he had occupied. The two reached the swing's apex and then somersaulted as Ladybug released her yo-yo line, landing on the roof of a building down the block.

"FIND THEM!" Volpina shouted to her two minions. "DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!"

Huddled behind a stairway shelter, Ladybug looked at Cat Noir with concern.

"Are you real?" she asked.

Cat Noir smiled. "I was about to ask you the same thing," he said. "But being this close, I guess I really don't care."

"You're real," she sighed cynically. Then she glanced at his ring. "And you're about to revert. Go get your Kwami recharged. I'll try to hold them off."

"But . . ."

"Do it, Cat Noir!" exclaimed Ladybug, gripping his upper arms. "I need you!"

He smiled again. "I've been waiting to hear you say that, M'lady."

"As a partner," Ladybug huffed. Cat Noir pressed his index finger to her lips.

"Uh uh. You said it and you can't take it back." Lunging to the side, he headed for the edge to leap down to the ground. "Be back as soon as I can."

As he leaped, Ladybug looked after him, the feel of his finger still on her lips. She did need him. Fighting this fight by herself was something she didn't want to consider for a moment.

But she loved Adrien - - didn't she?

Cat Noir hit the ground and instantly pressed himself into the shadows. He heard Stormy Weather pass overhead. Glancing down at his ring, he was just in time to see the last light blink out. The familiar transformation feeling washed over him. It always felt like part of his life was draining out of him, leaving ordinary Adrien Agreste behind. Opening his hand, he found Plagg laying there, weak and panting.

"Really put you through it this time, didn't I?" he asked.

"Nothing," Plagg gasped out, "a little cheese . . . won't cure . . ."

"I'm on it," Adrien nodded, slipping Plagg into his shirt pocket.

Keeping to the alleyway, Adrien cautiously made his way back to where the battle had first started. He'd noticed a cheese shop there and it was his closest, best option to help Plagg.

Turning a corner, Adrien froze dead in his tracks. Animan was in the alley, in panther form. He thought to back up, but Animan saw him and emitted a low growl. The panther began to approach, slowly and cautiously. It didn't seem like the cat was going to attack, but he was curious. Adrien backed up to give the cat a wide berth, but the cat altered his course to follow. The ballet continued until Adrien found himself backed up against a wall.

The panther got to within inches of him, then began sniffing. Adrien held his breath. If Animan attacked, there was nothing he could do to defend himself. Plagg was spent and Adrien against a full grown panther was a mismatch. But when the panther didn't seem to recognize his scent, it turned and headed off toward the street.

"Whew!" Adrien sighed. "I guess I have a different scent than Cat Noir does." He headed off down the alley. "Maybe it was that cologne Nathalie bought for Dad to give to me."

As Cat Noir leaped off into the dark alley, Ladybug looked around the area, trying to locate her three known adversaries.

"At least I think it was them," Ladybug frowned to herself. "With Volpina involved, it's hard to trust anything a person sees or hears."

Just then she felt a rush of air and pulled back into the shadows. Stormy Weather was hovering over the area, intently searching for them. Considering Stormy Weather hadn't said anything and she and Animan were acting like obedient soldiers, Ladybug concluded that Stormy Weather, if she was even real, was under the control of another, probably The Puppeteer. That meant either she had willed Stormy Weather and Animan to follow Volpina . . .

"Or Volpina has somehow gained control of Manon," Ladybug whispered. Stormy Weather stopped and turned her way. Ladybug pressed into the shadows behind the stairway shelter.

Frowning, though she still stared blankly, Stormy Weather opened her parasol and began to spin it in front of her. Ladybug felt the wind pick up.

"Come out, Ladybug!" she heard Volpina's voice echo through the block as the sky began to darken above. "Otherwise we'll just have to start hurting people! And you wouldn't want that, would you?"

By now Stormy Weather had floated past where Ladybug was concealed. The heroine eased out from behind the staircase shelter, her eyes darting around in search of something that might give her an advantage over the powerful villain. Her eyes locked on a chimney atop a taller building opposite her. Ladybug smiled.

"Wouldn't want you to hurt anyone," she mumbled as her yo-yo shot out and snared the chimney. "Guess I'll have to come out."

She dived off the roof and swung across the street behind Stormy Weather. Animan emerged from an alley, running after her, but she was too high for him. As he changed into a seagull and flew after her, Ladybug's tether ended and it drew her swing up into the air. At the apex of her swing, Ladybug released her line. She somersaulted twice, coming out of her dive aimed directly for Stormy Weather. She heard Volpina shout out a warning, but it was too late.

Ladybug landed squarely in the small of Stormy Weather's back. Her legs wrapped around the villain's waist. The force of the impact shot Stormy Weather forward and she plummeted to the street below, Ladybug riding her like she was a prize stallion. With some effort, Stormy Weather managed to right herself and pull out of her dive.

So Ladybug wrapped one arm across the villain's throat and the other across her eyes. Stormy Weather struggled to throw her, but Ladybug clung to her. Unable to see, Stormy Weather dipped and dove wildly. She didn't cry out, because she was still under control of another. But she couldn't shake Ladybug and she couldn't see to navigate.

Suddenly Ladybug jerked her captive's head to the left. Her line shot out and Ladybug was suddenly gone. Stormy Weather scarcely had time to realize it before she impacted hard on the pavement. The girl skidded to a stop and didn't move except to groan.

"One down, Volpina!" Ladybug shouted, landing in the middle of the intersection.

"That's all right, Ladybug," Volpina smiled wickedly. "I brought more friends."

Then, emerging from alleys, from storefronts, from behind parked cars, was every villain Ladybug had ever faced.

Continued in Chapter 10


	10. Gauntlet

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 10: "Gauntlet"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

Easing along the side of the storefront, praying he wouldn't be seen, was Adrien Agreste. Several people had already recognized him, famous as his face was. Though most of the gathered crowd was watching other things, a couple of middle aged ladies had torn themselves away to get his autograph. It was at moments like this that he wished he wasn't so famous.

His eyes were locked directly on what was occurring down the street from him, in the next intersection. Ladybug stood on one side of it, tall and erect and ready for the challenge before her. Stormy Weather lay about twenty feet from her, just rolling slightly from side to side in pain. Across from them, Volpina was gesturing. Then, emerging from alleys, from storefronts, from behind parked cars, was every villain he and Ladybug had ever faced. Adrien's breath caught in his throat. Anxiously his eyes darted back to Ladybug.

She stood unmoved, crouched for action. A sensation of awe washed through him. This was truly the greatest woman he had ever known. How could someone not help but love and admire her?

Shaking himself, Adrien slid along the section of storefronts until he reached the cheese shop on the corner. He attempted to go in, but the proprietor was standing in the doorway, watching the battle. Hunching his shoulders, Adrien pushed the man inside.

"Here, here, what's this?" the proprietor protested.

"Camembert!" Adrien exclaimed. "Now! As much as you've got!"

The shop owner was about to protest some more, but Adrien reached into his pocket and pushed a wad of currency into the man's middle. When the man looked, he saw the bills added up to about twice what his biggest wheel of Camembert cost. That and the desperate look on the teen's face convinced him. He waddled around to a display case and pulled out a large wheel of the cheese. Adrien seized it and ran out of the store. Ignoring what was going on, he raced down the street and ducked into an alley.

Sitting concealed behind a dumpster, Adrien reached into his pocket and gently pulled Plagg out. Even though the Kwami could smell the cheese, he was too tired to fly over to it, instead laying in Adrien's cupped hand.

"Got you something, Plagg," he said, sliding the Kwami onto the wheel of cheese. "You eat as much as you want."

"Smells good," Plagg wheezed. He licked the surface. "You're kind of all right, kid."

"Thanks," Adrien said. Then he glanced around the dumpster, trying to see what was happening. "But hurry up. Ladybug needs us."

* * *

"You're good, Ladybug," taunted Volpina as her army of akumatized villains advanced on her. "But can you beat them all?"

Ladybug quickly surveyed the scene. It was everyone she had ever faced, even the ones she had beaten earlier. The only ones missing were Stormy Weather, who was still moaning on the street to her left, and The Puppeteer. And she was the one villain Ladybug wanted to be here.

Leaping out of the pack was Antibug. Ladybug easily dodged her, but her motion took her directly into the path of Guitar Villain. He strummed "Awesome Solo" on his guitar, throwing a sonic blast at her. Throwing her yo-yo into the air, Ladybug snagged a street light and reeled herself out of the blast's range. She was only safe for a moment, for waiting for her from above was Dark Cupid. Hovering above her, he brought his bow up, an arrow set and waiting for her.

Two amazing twists of her body allowed Ladybug to avoid the fired arrows. Not willing to trust her luck with a third, Ladybug disengaged her yo-yo from the street light and somersaulted to the street. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw The Mime mimicking Dark Cupid. Leaping away, she avoided another invisible arrow as it impacted the pavement at her feet. But that leap brought her within the range of Animan. In black panther form, the great cat took a swipe at the heroine and grazed her hip. Ladybug tumbled to the street. She glanced back at him and saw Animan leaping at her.

A desperate swing of her yo-yo caught the cat right on the nose and stopped his advance. Ladybug scrambled to her feet, narrowly avoiding a thrust from Antibug's yo-yo and a pair of handcuffs fired from Rogercop. Leaping, she perched on a postal box. Timebreaker was advancing on her fast.

"I need to get some distance and regroup," Ladybug thought, her chest heaving.

Ladybug leaped to the street. Timebreaker altered course and attacked from the right. From the left, The Mime was headed for her, mimicking a speed skater. Ladybug began spinning her yo-yo, seemingly ready to attack. But at the last moment, she leaped up into the air, catching a cornice with her line. Timebreaker and The Mime crashed into each other. Pulling on her line, Ladybug attempted to fly away.

But looming over the street from the south was Stoneheart. As she neared him, he lunged out after her, forcing Ladybug to alter course. Out of the west suddenly appeared Gamer's giant robot form, blocking Ladybug's escape route in that direction. Green energy balls shot out at her and Ladybug narrowly avoided them. Swinging away, she found Horrificator blocking her path, the monster grown to sixty feet tall from all of the fear radiating from those watching below. Horrificator spat goo at her and Ladybug lunged away. Her momentum spent, the heroine landed on the street near Stormy Weather.

"You don't get away, Ladybug," Volpina crowed. "This is the final reckoning between us!"

"Lila!" Ladybug called out. "There doesn't have to be any 'reckoning' between us! That's Hawk Moth! He's just using you to get to me!"

"No, dear," Volpina smiled, a vicious, leering smile that was enjoying every moment of this conflict, "this was ME using Hawk Moth to get to you!"

"Why?"

"Because I HATE YOU!" Volpina snarled. "I hate you as much as I hate Chloe Bourgeois or anyone else who looked down on me or publicly humiliated me! I only ever wanted to belong! And NONE of you could let me have that! And now you're going to be the one who pays for it! And THEN I'll think about Chloe and the others!"

Ladybug glanced for a moment to her right, at Antibug spinning her yo-yo in readiness to attack. Why wait to take revenge on Chloe when she was right here?

"Sekhmet, give me your strength!" The Pharoah roared, drawing Ladybug's attention.

The villain lifted up a parked car above his head, then threw it at Ladybug. The heroine shot up into the air, somersaulting over the missile. In the air to greet her was Copycat, brandishing his batons like a pair of short swords. Quickly Ladybug's hand shot out and fired her yo-yo. She managed to hook a roof corner and alter her flight, narrowly missing Copycat. However, in the air, she was once again a target for Dark Cupid. And he had been joined by The Pharoah, using the Wings of Horus, as well as Mr. Pigeon riding his flock of birds.

From below, Guitar Villain threw a chord of sonic vibrations at her. Ladybug had no sooner landed atop a street light when it started vibrating wildly from the sonic blast. Rather than be shaken off, Ladybug flipped backwards, executing a complex mid-air somersault that carried her away from Guitar Villain's assault. But swooping in to get her was The Pharoah. Twisting to avoid his attack, Ladybug's trajectory was thrown off. She landed on an awning and bounced to the street, barely managing to land on her feet.

There was no rest for her. Timebreaker was speeding toward her. Ladybug swung her yo-yo line at the girl, trying to trip her. But Timebreaker easily vaulted the line, though it took her out of attack range.

Ladybug crouched, ready for the next attack. Her chest was heaving and her limbs felt leaden. There had to be a way to end this assault. If only Cat Noir was there. But in a way, she was glad he wasn't. If she was going to lose today, she didn't want him to share the same fate.

"Tiring, Ladybug?" Volpina taunted. "I'll accept your surrender any time."

The two adversaries held each other's eyes. Suddenly Ladybug somersaulted in the air, just as Animan was about to attack her from behind. She flipped over, balancing on his head with her two hands, and vaulted behind the big cat. But she landed awkwardly, striking something with one knee. Ladybug looked back as she grabbed her right knee, but there was nothing there.

And then there was: a steel newspaper vending box.

"Didn't see it?" Volpina chuckled. "That's the beauty of illusion: I can make you see things that aren't there. But I can also make you NOT see things that are there. I could let you walk right out in front of a bus and you'd never see it until it hit you! For example . . .!"

Several notes came from Volpina's flute. Suddenly there was a fifty yard chasm surrounding Ladybug on all sides. She was standing on a tiny island of pavement and one step in any direction was a dangerous drop.

"Very impressive," Ladybug called out as the villains gathered around Volpina or hovered above the heroine. "But I know it's not real."

"Isn't it?" Volpina smiled, her eyes twinkling.

Ladybug took one step forward and suddenly found herself plummeting toward the jagged chasm below. Quickly her yo-yo shot out and snared a street light, halting her descent. And just like that, the chasm was gone and she was laying in the street.

"I guess it wasn't," Volpina purred. "But now you have to ask yourself 'will the next one be real'? Meanwhile, let's play some more."

At once Darkblade shot forward, his sword out and ready to swing. Ladybug leaped into the air, casting her yo-yo up and out. But the yo-yo immediately struck an invisible ceiling and she quickly followed. Falling back to the street, Ladybug spotted Evillustrator drawing a cube around her. She didn't have time to dwell on it because Darkblade slashed at her. Narrowly avoiding the attack, Ladybug jumped and twisted to avoid him. But she was growing even more winded and Darkblade just kept coming. Finally she was pinned up against the wall of the cube. Darkblade drew back, then thrust his sword directly at her heaving chest.

Ladybug dropped to the ground, avoiding the thrust. The cube couldn't and the sword pierced it, shattering it into a rain of shards. Ladybug protected herself as best she could, but the falling shards of the cube still cut her in several places.

She wanted to just stay there on the street until she could get her wind back. Just until she could get her wind back. But footsteps told her a large group was approaching. Ladybug looked up and found an army of civilians marching toward her. About a fourth of the mob looked like Reflekta. The rest were a mixture of mummies, courtesy of The Pharoah, people acting like an angry lynch mob, courtesy of Simon Says, and normal people repeatedly mumbling "At your service, Princess Fragrance". As they neared, Ladybug feared their intent was to tear her apart.

Then Animan struck from behind. Now in the shape of a giant Burmese Python, he coiled around her waist with the speed of thought. As she struggled to extricate herself, Animan coiled more, around her legs, around her shoulders, around her hips. Then he began to squeeze. Ladybug grunted from the tremendous pressure being exerted on her body. The powerful coils squeezed all of the air out of her lungs. Ladybug quickly found that she was unable to draw any air back in because of the coils around her ribs. The snake was too strong to break, too difficult to move. And the coils became tighter with every passing second.

With her arms pinned at her sides, Ladybug couldn't even swing her yo-yo. As her vision began to cloud over red, her eyes darted back and forth for something to use against Animan. With desperation beginning to set in, Ladybug flicked her hand and the yo-yo shot out. It struck the wall of the shop near them and ricocheted back, striking Animan directly in the eye. It was a one in a million shot, the luckiest turn of events one could imagine. But that was the secret power of the Miraculous Ladybug. Animan flinched, stung by the blow, and the coils around Ladybug loosened. Fighting fatigue, she slipped her arm out of the coils, the swung her yo-yo around. The end swung up and struck Animan directly on the head. The snake went limp and slumped to the ground. Though her body wanted to give in right there, Ladybug pulled herself out of the coils. She was about to crawl away, but an arrow from Dark Cupid buried itself in the sidewalk in front of her, cutting her off.

"Maybe it's time to end this," Volpina mused, standing across the street flanked by a six of Ladybug's enemies. "The longer this goes, the more chance you have for a lucky break. Lady Wifi! Lock her down! I want to collect her Miraculous first."

From out of the crowd of villains clustered around Volpina, Lady Wifi emerged. Ladybug's heart sank. She'd hoped Alya at least could have been spared reliving this nightmare. The heroine crouched, preparing to move. She just didn't know if she still had the strength to move in time. The Pharoah and Dark Cupid hovered overhead. The armies of mesmerized citizens closed in from both sides. Timebreaker circled around on her skates, ready to attack at any moment. Lady Wifi raised her cell phone. Ladybug tensed.

"Ladybug!" came a shout from her right. Ladybug recognized the voice instantly, but it couldn't be Alya. She was looking at Alya. "It's a fake! I'm over here!"

Her eyes darted from Lady Wifi to Volpina and back again. Volpina seemed as confident as ever. Was it a trick? Had Volpina made her think Alya was calling to her, to get her to look away so Lady Wifi could strike? Or was Lady Wifi the illusion? Were they all illusions, the entire gauntlet that she'd been facing? She didn't know what to do. Volpina had her guessing so badly that she didn't know what was real and what was illusion anymore.

"Trust your instincts," Ladybug told herself. It almost sounded like Tikki was whispering that in her ear. Maybe she was.

Ladybug's eyes darted to the right for just a moment. There was Alya, standing behind a parked car waving with one hand while her ever-present cell phone was in the other. Ladybug's eyes darted back to Volpina and her crew. Of course Alya would be there, recording her exploits for the blog. So Lady Wifi had to be an illusion.

Or was that what Volpina wanted her to think?

Lady Wifi fired a pause icon at her and somehow Ladybug found the strength to leap up and avoid it. She caught the street light, avoiding an arrow from Dark Cupid, and swung up to a perch on the light. Immediately The Pharoah landed at the base of the light while Lady Wifi readjusted her aim.

"Sekhmet, lend me your strength!" he roared. Grasping the street light, he began to rip it out of the pavement.

"Ladybug!" Alya called out again. "It's not real!"

Desperately Ladybug searched for some clue to confirm one way or another what was real and what wasn't. Her eyes darted back and forth, looking over each participant in this epic battle for some flaw, some inconsistency, some indication that he or she was real or illusion.

Then her eyes locked on one of the villains in the cluster around Volpina. It was Kung Food! Kung Food was her Uncle Wang - - and he was in China! There was no way he could be there!

"So that's it, huh Volpina?" Ladybug scowled.

"Surrender now, Ladybug!" Volpina demanded, sensing that her elaborate illusion was blown. "You can't win against them all!"

"Let's find out!" Ladybug fired back.

Vaulting over one of Lady Wifi's pause icons, Ladybug lashed out with her yo-yo as she somersaulted in the air. The yo-yo struck Dark Cupid and he vanished in a puff of smoke. Her leap carried her directly into the cluster of villains hovering around Volpina. Ladybug began swinging her yo-yo around, faster than any of the villains could react. Up in smoke went Reflekta, Magician of Misfortune, The Bubbler, Kung Food and Evillustrator. The others turned to attack as Volpina edged away.

Lashing out with her foot, Ladybug struck Darkblade and he disappeared. Flinging her yo-yo, she struck Simon Says and he vanished. Timebreaker and The Pharoah charged her from both sides, trying to bracket her. But a leaping double kick dispensed with both villains and set her down next Lady Wifi. Lashing out with her elbow, Ladybug connected with the side of Lady Wifi's head and turned her into a puff of smoke. In the distance, she heard Alya cheer.

Pivoting, Ladybug waded through the marching army of mummies and mesmerized men singing the praises of Princess Fragrance. Using her yo-yo like a scythe, she cut through the army with little trouble, changing them all into smoke. Bringing up the rear behind the army was Horrificator. Swinging her yo-yo upward, Ladybug connected and dispelled the illusion.

She turned and charged the other advancing army, but found Copycat in her way. Copycat proved to be more elusive, avoiding her thrusts. After three dodged attacks, she broke off and dispelled the army of Reflektas and Simon Says slaves, all of whom were illusions as well, and Stoneheart behind them. Copycat and Antibug charged her again. Rather than attack them, Ladybug leaped over them, somersaulting over to where Rogercop, The Mime and Princess Fragrance were lurking. Three swings of her yo-yo made them all disappear.

Turning, Ladybug saw Gamer's giant robot reach for her. She leaped over the hand and then landed feet first on it, dispelling the illusion instantly. As the smoke cleared, Ladybug found Mr. Pigeon hovering a little too close. One shot from her yo-yo and he was gone.

"Ladybug! Look out!" she heard Alya yell.

Whirling, Ladybug found Pixelator creeping up on her with his camera. A single shot from her yo-yo dispelled him. As it returned, she spotted Guitar Villain preparing to strike a deadly chord. Whipping her yo-yo in an arc over her head, she brought it down on the villain like a hammer on his head. He vanished in a puff of smoke.

Her chest was heaving. Her limbs were numb. And Copycat and Antibug, and for all she knew Vanisher were stalking her. She didn't have time to fight them. Volpina would get away. And she didn't have the strength to fight them.

"I was trying to save this for Manon," Ladybug thought. "But I've got to use it now!"

"Lucky Charm!" Ladybug shouted, spinning her yo-yo into the air. A red cloth with black dots appeared and fell into her hands.

"A blindfold?" Ladybug thought. She pondered for a moment as Copycat and Antibug drew nearer. "Oh! Sure, why not? I trust you, Tikki."

And she tied the blindfold over her eyes. Crouched behind a car, Alya stood up and stared in shock. Copycat and Antibug came closer. But Ladybug just stood there.

Then the two villains faded like mist. Alya ran over.

"They're gone, Ladybug!" Alya exclaimed. "They just faded away!" Indeed, the only villains left in the intersection were the fallen Animan and Stormy Weather.

"An illusion is one of your senses being fooled," Ladybug smiled as she pulled off the magic blindfold. "Block out that sense and you block out the illusion."

"You took an awful chance, girl," Alya gasped. Ladybug shrugged.

"I've always been pretty lucky," she said.

Warily looking behind her, Volpina scurried down a back alley. Ladybug had triumphed again - - again! Now she'd be after her. And that was assuming Hawk Moth hadn't seen through her illusion and wasn't after her, too. It was time to regroup. It would have been nice to take Animan and Stormy Weather with her, but she could get Puppeteer to recruit more help for her later. Now she had to escape. Volpina turned a corner.

And ran right into Cat Noir.

"Going somewhere?" he asked confidently.

Continued in Chapter 11


	11. The Bill Comes Due

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 11: "The Bill Comes Due"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

Ladybug swung up to a rooftop, away from the prying eyes of Alya and the citizens who had gathered and watched her battle from a distance. Once she landed, she felt the second dot on her earring flash. Not wanting to tax her Kwami any further, Ladybug allowed the transformation to fade. Marinette cupped her hand and cradled Tikki.

"How are you doing, Tikki?" she asked anxiously.

"That was," Tikki exhaled with exhaustion, "some fight."

"Yeah. Thanks for all of your help." Marinette smiled timidly as she reached into her purse. A dainty hand brought out a packet of gummy bears. "Here. Have the whole pack if you want them."

"I may need them," Tikki sighed. Marinette brought one of the candies to Tikki and the Kwami took a small, exhausted bite. "Tastes good. But what about Manon? And it's getting late. Your parents are going to start to wonder where you are."

"We'll worry about that after you're back to normal," Marinette assured her. Tikki took another bite of the gummy bear.

* * *

Cat Noir stood directly in Volpina's path, smiling arrogantly. He expected her to surrender.

Instead, what she did was lash out with a leaping kick to his face. Cat Noir barely dodged the kick. Volpina's leap carried her past him and she hit the ground running. Immediately Cat Noir gave chase, but she had several steps on him.

Throwing his baton, Cat Noir banked it off of the side of the building they were running beside. It caromed off of the wall, bounced off of the alley's pavement and struck Volpina's ankle. She stumbled and fell forward, impacting on the pavement just as she'd exited the alley onto a side street. Cat Noir was on top of her in a second.

"Now let's talk about where you've . . .!" Cat Noir began to say as he bent down to pin Volpina face first on the ground.

Quickly Volpina rolled onto her back, pulling her legs to her chest. Her feet pressed against Cat Noir's abdomen and she thrust up and out, hurling him away from her. Cat Noir hit the ground and quickly rolled to his feet. But Volpina was already up and her flute was pressed to her mouth.

She got half a phrase out. Cat Noir threw his baton and knocked the flute out of her hand. But the damage had been done. Before his eyes, Volpina faded from sight. At the same instant, three Volpina's materialized, one left, one right and one behind him.

"Catch me if you can!" each Volpina sang out, then laughed as they all turned and ran in different directions.

But Cat Noir wasn't listening to them. His eyes were closed and he was listening to his surroundings. Suddenly he lurched forward and drove his shoulder into something warm and athletic and feminine. As he and his unglimpsed prize hit the ground, a loud grunt split the air. Opening his eyes, Cat Noir found himself on top of Volpina. His arms were wrapped around her and she glared angrily up at him.

"You can't fool all of my senses, Volpina," he smirked.

"Get off me!" she roared. "Pervert!"

"Pervert?" Cat Noir gasped in mock indignation. He wrestled her to her feet, bending one arm behind her as he did so. "I'll have you know that I am in love with Ladybug and I remain true to her."

"Really?" Volpina asked, looking coyly at him over her shoulder. "You don't think I'm as attractive as Ladybug?"

Cat Noir didn't answer. Volpina eased around to face him, though he still had control of her wrist.

"You didn't say 'no'. Maybe we can make a deal?" Volpina said. She leaned in. "I can make it worth your while."

And then she head-butted him.

Cat Noir staggered back three steps. Volpina immediately launched her foot into his middle, knocking the black-clad hero to the ground. She didn't waste time looking him over. Volpina turned tail and ran, while Cat Noir tried to regain his breath. As he struggled to his feet, Alya ran up to him.

"Cat Noir, are you all right?" she gasped, taking his arm and helping him to his feet.

"Just a little out of breath," he wheezed out. Alya could hear that the blow had done more damage than he was admitting to. "Did you see where Volpina went?"

"No," Alya groaned. "I was too worried about you."

"Not to worry," Cat Noir smirked confidently. He held up his baton and flipped a cover on the side of the metal rod with his thumb. A green screen was revealed, with a light green dot flashing on a dark green background.

"You put a tracker on her?" Alya gasped with delight.

"While I was, um, wrestling with her," he winked. "I wasn't totally preoccupied with how good it felt."

Alya looked at him disapprovingly.

"You, uh, don't have to mention that in your blog," Cat Noir grimaced. "Certain people might take that the wrong way."

"OK," Alya replied skeptically. "But only because I wouldn't want there to be any friction between you and 'certain people'."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind a little friction between . . ." Cat Noir mumbled, a look of pleasant fantasy on his face.

"Get on out of here and track down Volpina!" Alya barked, shoving the hero.

Shaken out of his reverie, he threw her a playful salute and then headed off in search of his quarry. Alya watched him with a mixture of disdain and humor. Then suddenly she remembered that more video of Cat Noir fighting Volpina would be great for the blog. So what if she hadn't finished her project for school yet. This was important. The girl raced after Cat Noir, changing the memory card in her phone as she ran.

Confident that she had lost Cat Noir, Volpina slid surreptitiously into the gym of College Francois DuPont. There she had woven one of her most intricate illusions. To the outside world, the gym seemed empty. Since the school was still closed in the wake of the morning's attack, there was nobody there to look, anyway. To the little girl sitting in the center of the room, playing with a doll, the room looked like the small room she had been in, her only link to the outside world being several television monitors.

As she entered, Volpina wondered what The Puppeteer's mood would be. Certainly she had already sensed that Stormy Weather and Animan had been overcome. But Volpina was certain she could entice the child into trying again. Ladybug would still know defeat. Perhaps she should try Pixilator this time, teamed with The Pharaoh and Timebreaker. Volpina eased up to the child.

"Why did you lie to me?" The Puppeteer demanded.

* * *

Tom Dupain-Cheng presented the box of pastries to the customer with a grateful smile. He could tell the woman was already anticipating eating them, even though she managed to return his nod and smile. Her preoccupation didn't bother him. If anything, it was a compliment to his product. As the woman exited the shop, two more women entered. They were locals and regulars at the bakery.

"It's just terrible," one of the women proclaimed to her companion. "It's getting so a person can't walk the streets of Paris anymore."

"Something should be done," the companion, a middle-aged woman like the first, declared. "But all Mayor Bourgeois does is search for cameras and tell us everything will be fine. In a pig's eye it will!"

"What can I get for you handsome ladies today?" Tom smiled. In the background, Sabine grinned. Tom knew when to butter up a customer.

"Oh, you!" twittered the first woman, responding as predicted. "I just stopped in for a couple of loaves of your marvelous bread. Seems I can't get through the day without a bite of it. Probably just as you planned."

"Guilty," he grinned. Sabine handed him two baguettes rolled in paper. "I couldn't help overhearing you as you came in. Has something happened?"

"Didn't you hear?" the second woman gasped, sensing a chance to demonstrate her knowledge. "There's been another one of those 'monster attacks'. The ones Ladybug and Kitty Noir are always fighting."

"Really? Do you know where?" Tom asked.

"I think the news report said it was near Armand DuPree's Cheese Shop," the first woman recalled.

"They have such fine cheese there," her friend volunteered. "A little of their Gouda spread on a slice of your baguette - - well, I'll confess to enjoying a midday snack more than once. I shouldn't indulge . . ."

"Armand's shop is about three-tenths of a kilometer from the library, isn't it?" Tom said, glancing with concern at Sabine. Instantly Sabine had a cell phone out and was punching in a number.

"Yes, it is. Why?" asked the first woman.

"Um, Marinette is over there. She has research," Tom replied distantly, "for school."

"She's so industrious," the second woman chimed in. "Not like some of the youth of today with their Hippety-Hop music." Finally she realized why Tom was concerned. "I'm certain she's all right."

Awkwardly they paid for their purchase and left. The moment they were gone, Tom turned to Sabine. She nodded and turned the phone so they could both hear.

"Uh, yeah, I heard what was going on at the library," they heard Marinette say. "The trouble is all over now. Ladybug and Cat Noir came to the rescue again."

"You went there?" gasped Sabine.

"Um, Alya was there and I sort of wandered over to her," Marinette offered. "We weren't in any danger. Everybody knows that when Ladybug is fighting an akuma villain, you give them plenty of space."

"Well maybe you'd better come home, Marinette," Tom advised her. "It's getting late and I don't think you'll be able to get much more work done on your project now anyway."

"Uh, yeah, you're probably right," Marinette replied half-heartedly. "Um, I may be a while. It's still pretty chaotic in the streets. And . . . I . . . want to make sure Alya gets home OK, you know? Because if anything happened to her, I would just . . .you know."

Sabine smothered a smile. "All right," she said patiently. "But don't be too long. And be careful. Because if anything happened to you, your father and I would just . . . you know."

They heard Marinette chuckle. "Right, Mom. I'll try to get home by dinner. Love you."

"We love you, Marinette," they said and disconnected. Both of them looked at each other and heaved a sigh in unison.

"Well," Sabine began, "this wouldn't be a problem in China."

"Perhaps," Tom looked away. "But would she be happy in China? Her life is here. Her friends are here." He frowned. "That boy she's infatuated with is here. I want to protect her, but I don't want her to become a melancholy canary in a gilded cage."

* * *

"Lied?" Volpina replied, acting askance. "Whatever could you mean, Puppeteer? I was just . . ."

"Mr. Hawk Moth told me everything," The Puppeteer scowled. "He told me how you made him think I was still at the other place. And how you made me think I was at the other place when I was really here! You lied to me! That's not nice!"

"All right," Volpina replied, looking down chastened. Then she locked eyes with the young villain. "But I did it to protect you! To protect us both! Hawk Moth is just using us! We're tools in his hands to beat Ladybug and Cat Noir and get their Miraculous! And when we've gotten them, he's just going to cast us . . .!"

Suddenly Volpina's voice disappeared. Her throat began to constrict uncomfortably. Putting her hands to her throat, she found nothing around it. Her eyes darted fearfully to The Puppeteer. Breathing was becoming harder and harder.

And in the young villainess's hand was a Volpina doll. And her thumb and forefinger were pressed to the doll's neck.

"I don't believe you," snapped Puppeteer petulantly. "You lied to me, so I don't believe anything you tell me."

Puppeteer released the pressure on the doll. Volpina sank to her knees, gasping for air. She looked up at the young girl while still on her hands and knees. There was intimidation in her eyes, but also the look of someone whose mind was racing trying to build a countering strategy.

"This is what you're going to do," Puppeteer told her, the doll tight in her grip. "You're going to go out and beat that Ladybug. And then you're going to bring her to me! And then I'll show her that I'm the one who won this time! And that I get to have any doll I want! Any time I want!" She glared at Volpina. "Get up."

Volpina got to her feet. If only there was a way to get that doll out of her grasp. But, quick as she was, she had to wait for a time when Puppeteer was distracted. Then Puppeteer looked away. It seemed like she was communicating mentally with Hawk Moth. Volpina tensed to strike.

Then Puppeteer looked back at her and the chance was gone.

"Mr. Hawk Moth says Cat Noir followed you here," Puppeteer told Volpina. The fox villain seemed genuinely surprised. "He's entering the school now. Beat him. Then bring him to me."

Cat Noir entered the school cautiously. He was genuinely surprised when Volpina's trail led here. It was one of the last places he'd expect her to be. But unless she'd found the tracker and ditched it, this was where she was. A door to the gym opened and he turned toward it.

"Ladybug?" Cat Noir murmured in surprise. Ladybug cautiously slid through the door and then approached him. "Did you see Volpina?"

Ladybug gestured for quiet. "She's here," the heroine said in a low, conspiratorial voice. "Puppeteer's here, too. But we have to be quiet so we don't alert them that we're here."

"Right," Cat Noir nodded quietly. He joined up with her and the pair cautiously made their way along a hall away from the gym. "I'm surprised to see you up and around so soon. That fight with Volpina must have taken a lot out of you."

"It did," Ladybug whispered. "She's tough. But I've got my own tricks."

"Aside from bewitching helpless males, M'Lady?" Cat Noir grinned. She glanced over at him.

"Well aren't you sweet," Ladybug smiled flirtatiously.

Instantly warning bells went off in Cat Noir's brain. That wasn't the response he was expecting. And while Ladybug smiling flirtatiously at him was the stuff of dreams, reality told him this wasn't Ladybug. So it had to be Volpina.

And out of the corner of his eye, he saw "Ladybug" had her hand poised to snatch the ring off of his finger. Like lightning, Cat Noir seized her wrist and spun her around so that her arm was twisted behind her and she was chest to chest with him. Then he dipped.

"You can drop the act, Volpina," Cat Noir said as "Ladybug" struggled in his grip. "You can look like Ladybug, but you can't match her class."

"You . . .!" snarled "Ladybug". She attempted to head butt him again, but Cat Noir avoided it. "Ladybug! Always Ladybug! I hate Ladybug! And I hate you!" Her illusion faded, revealing Volpina. But try as she might, off-balance as she was and held in Cat Noir's grip, she couldn't escape.

"OK, where's Puppeteer?" Cat Noir demanded.

At the mention of the name, Volpina stopped struggling. "She's," Volpina began, her eyes darting fearfully to the side, "in the gym."

"And of course you wouldn't lie to me, would you?" Cat Noir asked cynically.

"In a heartbeat if it would get me what I wanted!" Volpina spat. Then she grew quiet. "But not this time. Get her. Beat her. I think I'd rather go back to being Lila than be under her thumb. And Hawk Moth's."

Cat Noir stared at her, trying to read the vixen's intent. Finally he pulled her up out of the dip and spun her around so that he was behind her, but her arm was still bent between her shoulder blades. He forced Volpina to walk ahead of him toward the gym. But as they neared the gym door, Volpina began to resist.

"Look, I told you where she was!" the villain gasped. "Don't make me get near her again!"

"This is just in case you're lying," Cat Noir forced her forward. "You do have a habit of that."

Cat Noir reached for the door. At that moment, Volpina twisted and tore out of his grasp. He turned to intercept her attack, but Volpina instead ran for the front door like Hell itself was chasing her. Cat Noir looked back at the door handle with some trepidation.

"Maybe I need to make an entrance," he thought.

Hunching his shoulders, Cat Noir whipped the door open suddenly. He dived through the opening, rolled forward and sprang to his feet, a baton in each hand ready to use to either attack or defend himself. Sitting in a chair in the center of the room was The Puppeteer.

In her hand were dolls of Ladybug and Cat Noir. The girl looked over her shoulder at him and smiled.

Concluded in Chapter 12


	12. Ladybug Doesn't Save The Day

Who's Got The Akuma  
Chapter 12: "Ladybug Doesn't Save The Day"  
A Miraculous Ladybug fanfic

by Bill K.

* * *

"Not to worry," Cat Noir smirked confidently. He held up his baton and flipped a cover on the side of the metal rod with his thumb. A green screen was revealed, with a light green dot flashing on a dark green background.

"You put a tracker on her?" Alya gasped with delight.

On the roof above them, Marinette peered over the side of the building and listened surreptitiously to what the two were saying. The girl nodded with satisfaction. Tikki sat in her hand, munching on a gummy bear.

"While I was, um, wrestling with her," he winked. "I wasn't totally preoccupied with how good it felt."

Alya looked at him disapprovingly. So did Marinette from above.

"You, uh, don't have to mention that in your blog," Cat Noir grimaced. "Certain people might take that the wrong way."

"OK," Alya replied skeptically. "But only because I wouldn't want there to be any friction between you and 'certain people'."

On the roof, Marinette burned with jealousy for a moment. Then she expelled a breath and flushed the emotion away.

"Fine," the girl muttered. "If he thinks Volpina is more attractive than me, he can have her! It's not like I care." Tikki gave her a sideways glance.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind a little friction between . . ." Cat Noir mumbled, a look of pleasant fantasy on his face.

"Get on out of here and track down Volpina!" Alya barked, shoving the hero.

Shaken out of his reverie, he threw her a playful salute and then headed off in search of his quarry. Alya watched him with a mixture of disdain and humor. Then suddenly she remembered that more video of Cat Noir fighting Volpina would be great for the blog.

As Alya scurried off, Marinette made her way down from the roof. Once she was on solid ground, she began chasing after Alya.

"Honestly I wish Cat Noir would think about what's important at the right time. He's such an," and she shook her head, "alley cat sometimes!" As she ran, she opened her palm and glanced down at Tikki. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Tikki responded, unable to lie and reluctant to disappoint.

"But not there yet, huh?" Marinette added. "It's OK," and she eased the Kwami into her purse. "Take as long as you need. Finish the whole packet if you have to."

"But what if Cat Noir runs into trouble and needs Ladybug?" Tikki asked from the purse.

"We'll," Marinette continued on, heedless of the danger, "have to hope that he doesn't."

Barely keeping Alya in sight, Marinette continued to run down the streets of Paris. As she pursued her friend, she began to notice that the area they were running to looked very familiar. It helped her ignore the burning in her thighs and the needles in her lungs.

"Boy," Marinette gasped to herself, "I sure do miss Ladybug's stamina right about now."

Then she staggered to a stop. It wasn't because of fatigue; she found herself in the front courtyard of College Francois Dupont, her high school. Befuddled, Marinette just stared. Had she lost the trail? Then she spotted Alya ascending the steps.

"What's Volpina doing here?" Marinette wondered.

Not wishing to lose Alya, Marinette mounted the steps and eased inside the school. She took a few steps forward, cautiously looking around, until she spotted Alya at the entrance to the gym. She eased up next to her friend and touched her shoulder. Alya gave a start and whirled on her, then smiled when recognition set in.

"Girl, you missed it," Alya whispered. "Cat Noir was fighting Volpina, and she was pretending to be Ladybug. But she didn't fool him. He could tell the difference."

"He could?" Marinette whispered. A tiny smile blossomed on her mouth. "Where is she now?"

"Took off running out the back," Alya responded. "She didn't want to face The Puppeteer." A chill of remembrance went down Alya's spine. "Frankly I don't blame her."

"Manon is here?" Marinette gasped and pushed in, looking over Alya's shoulder. There sat little Manon in her Puppeteer costume, facing off against Cat Noir. In her hands were dolls of Cat Noir and Ladybug.

"Uh oh, that doesn't look good for Cat Noir," Alya whispered as she recorded. Then she felt Marinette push past her. "Marinette!"

"Manon, don't!" Marinette exclaimed, coming into the gym out in the open. Both Cat Noir and Puppeteer turned to her with surprise.

"Marinette?" The Puppeteer murmured anxiously.

"Get out of here! It's dangerous!" Cat Noir commanded her. Marinette ignored him. She began to approach the young villain.

"Oh, Manon, I'm so glad we found you! We've all been so worried!" Marinette told her.

"You didn't have to worry," Puppeteer responded. "I'm powerful now. I can beat anybody!" She darkened. "Except Ladybug. But she doesn't play fair. I'll beat her yet! You'll see, Marinette!"

"Can't you just come home?" Marinette asked, easing toward her cautiously. "I've missed you so much. And so has Alya. And so has your mom. We've all been so worried."

"Mommy doesn't care about me," Puppeteer frowned. "Mommy is afraid of me. And she won't let me play with dolls anymore."

"She's not scared of you, Manon," Marinette assured her. "She loves you. It's The Puppeteer she's afraid of. Because The Puppeteer does bad things, and she doesn't want her beautiful little girl doing bad things."

"I just want to beat Ladybug!" The Puppeteer exclaimed. "Why is that bad?"

"It's not," Marinette said. "It's how you do it. You hurt people. You make them do things that they don't want to do. And you don't care about their feelings. And that's not nice, Manon."

Tears began to stream down the little girl's mask.

"I didn't want to hurt anybody," The Puppeteer whimpered. "I just wanted to win. To be as good as Ladybug."

Marinette knelt down at the girl's feet. "I understand. We all want to be the best we can be. But Manon, you don't have to be as good as Ladybug for people to love you. You just have to be Manon. That's who we want." Marinette tilted her head. "Come back to us, Manon. We really miss you."

Marinette spread her arms and after a tense moment the child dived into them, grasping Marinette around the neck as hard as she could. The teen folded her arms around the little girl as her Puppeteer costume faded into mist, the mist coalescing into a black butterfly. As the two held each other, Cat Noir came over and snatched the butterfly out of the air. They glanced at him.

"Since Ladybug isn't here to purify this little guy," Cat Noir said. "Cataclysm!"

Dark energy enveloped his hand and the butterfly inside. The butterfly disintegrated into atoms.

"Maybe The Puppeteer is gone for good now," Cat Noir posed.

"I think she's gone for good regardless," Marinette told him, then looked down to Manon. The child nodded vigorously while her face remained pressed against Marinette's shoulder.

While Cat Noir eased out of the room, Alya came over and knelt down next to her friends. Manon reached out with one hand to her.

"Glad to have you back, Small Britches," Alya smiled, high-fiving the child. She got a toothy grin in response. "And oh, did I get some video for my blog!"

"You weren't recording, were you?" Marinette gasped in horror.

"Every minute of it," Alya said proudly. "I even got your good side."

"I didn't know I had one," Marinette moaned.

* * *

The skylight window in a remote loft irised closed. A man in a silver cowl ground his teeth in anger.

"Well, at least I learned two things from this little escapade. Never work with children," Hawk Moth fumed, "and never trust a fox."

* * *

Marinette entered the bakery going over in her mind what she would say to her parents to explain her tardiness. She had several contingency excuses lined up, each one depending upon how much they revealed in advance that they knew.

"Welcome home," Sabine said neutrally. "You're just in time for dinner." Marinette smiled, waiting for some cue from her mother. "You certainly took a long time getting Alya home safely."

"Yeah, well, you see. . ." Marinette began.

Sabine gestured calmly for quiet. Then she pointed to the television in the other room. Tom was watching one of the local newscasts.

". . .exciting amateur video of one of the akuma monsters being defeated by Cat Noir and a local girl . . ." the news reader proclaimed.

"Yeah," Marinette groaned, seeing her life flash before her eyes. "About that . . ."

* * *

"Plagg," Adrien said absently as he sat at his desk in his room, "did you notice something?"

"Yes," huffed the Kwami. "You neglected to replenish the cheese tin."

"You should be the fattest Kwami in the universe," Adrien muttered. "No, today when Marinette talked little Manon down from being The Puppeteer. That took a lot of heart - - and a lot of guts. And then there was that other time when she tried to talk down Simon Says and Volpina. She's a lot more courageous than I figured." He thought for a moment. "Almost as courageous as Ladybug."

"Maybe she is Ladybug," snickered Plagg.

"Wouldn't that be nice," Adrien sighed. "But I couldn't get that lucky. Still," and he thought for a moment, "maybe I need to pay a little more attention to her. Even if she's not Ladybug, she seems like a girl that it would be worth knowing. And if she is . . ."

"It would mean you've got it made," Plagg said as he ran his finger around the bottom seam of the cheese tin searching for any last remnant of cheese. "This Marinette girl is crushing on you bad already."

"What do you know about girl's crushing?" Adrien scoffed.

"I've been around more humans than just you, my boy," Plagg told him. "I know when a female is interested - - obviously better than you do."

"Marinette?" Adrien wondered aloud. "Is that why she's always so tense and awkward around me? I thought she was just intimidated by my fame and reputation."

"Oh, youth is wasted on the young," Plagg sighed. "Now how about filling this cheese tin before I waste away to nothing?"

Absently Adrien got up and scooped up the tin. As he headed for the kitchen, he became lost in thought wondering about the suddenly mysterious Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

* * *

Alya turned at a familiar morning sound. She had been entering the vast courtyard for the school when Marinette ran up, huffing and puffing and hopelessly late. The pair passed Lila at the entrance. The girl was trying her best not to be noticed by anyone.

"I heard a rumor about you," Alya smiled coyly.

"O-oh?" Marinette asked, wondering how she was going to explain her dual identity to Alya, who obviously must have caught her transforming with that ever-present camera phone of hers.

"Yesterday, when you were 'hiding' from Animan," Alya asked pointedly, her reporter's gaze boring holes in her friend. "Were you alone?"

"What?" gasped Marinette, thrown completely off guard. "Of course I was!"

"No one was with you?" Alya pressed on. "Not, say, a certain gorgeous blond model with the initials A.A.?"

"A.A.?" Marinette pondered. "Adrien? I wish! I wouldn't have come out! Who told you I was with Adrien?"

"Nino," Alya sighed. "Don't worry, Marinette. Sometimes the boy adds two and two and gets nacho. But I had to ask, just in case."

"Me and Adrien - - hiding together," Marinette mumbled and got a faraway look. Her friend grinned.

"So am I going to have to rename my blog 'The Marinette Report'?" Alya asked.

"What are you talking about? No one wants to read about me!" Marinette gasped.

"That's for sure," Chloe tossed imperiously at them as she and Sabrina passed them. Sabrina giggled.

"Tell that to my readers," Alya replied. "I posted your little act of heroism and it got a huge response. And several lewd posts from guys, too." Marinette blushed on cue. "Plus one of the local TV stations uploaded it, too. You're famous, girl."

"I know," Marinette sighed.

"Oh, did your parents see it? I totally didn't think of that!" Alya exclaimed. "What did they say?"

A small smile curled around Marinette's mouth. "They - - were proud of me. Dad nearly had a stroke because I risked myself, but they were really proud of what I did. Especially Mom." She glanced at Alya. "From the way they sounded, the move to China sounds like it's off."

"Good thing. I don't know what I'd do without you," Alya said sincerely. Then she grew a devilish smile. "And all of those guys watching my blog would REALLY be disappointed."

"Stop it," fussed Marinette. "So how far are you on your project?"

"Getting there," Alya shrugged. "Haven't had a lot of time to work on it because Ladybug has been so active."

"I know. Me too," Marinette sighed. Then her eyes grew wide.

"What did that . . ." Alya began to ask. Then she noticed Adrien was there. "Hi, Adrien. What's up?"

"Huh . . ." Marinette gurgled upon seeing him. "H-Hi."

"Alya," he nodded pleasantly. "Marinette," and to Alya his smile seemed just a little warmer.

"You look like you want to ask something," Alya probed gently.

"Well," Adrien began. "Sorry for overhearing this. I wasn't listening in or anything. But I heard you talking about the project that's due."

"Yep," Alya responded ruefully. "How far along are you?"

"I'm finished," Adrien told them. Then he took a moment to summon his courage. "But I heard Marinette wasn't. So I thought, well, maybe she'd like me to help her. Since I'm free." He smiled self-consciously. "And I do have access to some of the best study materials in the world. Advantage of being rich." He looked right at Marinette, who seemed about two seconds away from crumbling into tiny pieces. "I'm sure you don't need my help with the thinking part. But maybe you'd like to borrow my vast network of educational resources - - and have some company?"

"I-I-I-I," Marinette could only reply. Adrien at once appeared confused.

"Fortunately for you, I speak 'Marinette'," grinned Alya, leaning in and bracing her hands on Marinette's shoulders. "Four 'I's' means 'yes'."

"Ummm," Marinette gurgled.

"So what does four 'I's' and an 'ummm' mean?" Adrien smirked.

"Hell yes," chuckled Alya.

"Great!" Adrien exclaimed. "Is tonight OK?" Marinette nodded mechanically. "I'll send The Gorilla around with the limo. Maybe we'll get lucky and Dad will still be out of town. See you tonight." Suddenly something occurred to the boy. "Um, I'm not interfering with any plans you two have, am I?"

"Not at all," smiled Alya. "I'm guessing that Nino isn't finished with his project, either."

"Try barely started," smirked Adrien.

"Had a feeling. So he'll need my help more than Marinette will." Alya tossed a happy glance at her friend. "She's all yours."

As Adrien walked off, the bell rang. Alya prodded Marinette forward. The girl walked like she was in a trance.

"W-What just happened?" Marinette asked.

"You have a study date with Adrien, you lucky girl," Alya told her.

"I do?"

"I think he saw you on TV," Alya added. "And I think you impressed him again."

"I did?"

"This is it, girl," Alya whispered encouragingly. "The first step to those three kids and a dog."

The squeal of delight reverberated through the venerated halls of College Francois Dupont.

Conclusion


End file.
